INDUSTRIAL WORLD.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17871, 28 February 1920, Page 14

INDUSTRIAL WORLD.

.; NEWS AND NOTES. I Bt J. T. Pact. THE NEW MOVE IN MELBOURNE. Toe decision of the building trad© workers not Jto work on Saturday is bound to bo , aii Interesting experiment whatever happens; If tho employers aoquieoe in the action of the workers in simply fixing their own; hours of employment, thou tho cft'eot of the five-day shortened working week will bo interesting. If, on the other hand, tho faiovo is to bo fought, which is most likely, then tho struggle, -will bo keen. Ali the awards have been suspended, so that tho Workers in tho building trade aro now without protection Tho next fow days shoifld see sorao developments. If the actirfn of tho workers in the building trntJo wasTtacitly agreed to tho action would be surely followed by othor workers. Thereforejit is certain wo shall hear more about it. : Question of immigration. From time to time certain classes of male labour is displaced because of shortage of general supplies dopendent on female labour or of female labour itself. At tho present timo men in the boot trado are on ahort timo because of one or both of tho above roasons. The question of immigration,' and tho possibility of getting the right class of immigrants, k exercising tho minds of the Government. The visit of Miss: Watkin and Miss Girdler, who have spent the week in tho city, brings tho matter to tho forefront again. They appear to be anxious not only as to the class of immigrant who will come to the dominion "but also as to the conditions under which . she twill work when sho arrives here. It wouft be wise if tho Labour organisations bestirred themselves and gavo some consideration to this important subject and its effect on the industries and the workers engaged in them.

COMBINED IRON TRADE AWARD. Just now all interested in the iron trade in New Zealand are discussing the question of a'combined award for the trade in the dominion. Employers have in some cases conferred on the mattor, and employees have; talked about it. _ At the--moment neither side appears quito sure as to the practicability or tho real effects of the pro- - posaf. Wages are rising, of course, and in ttfis connection it is interesting to note . a recent statement made by the president of ths London branch of the Ironfoundcrs Society that the wage for moulders in LondW is Is B£d per hour. In some country districts it is 2d and 3d per hour less, i The highest rato obtains at Liverpool.! where tho pay is Id moro than LonoV "But," says the president an ' agreement recently arrived at m the build- ' ing trade awards Is 8d and Is 9d. an hour • ■to builders' labourers! How long can an industry last whoso highly-trained and skill& mechanics are graded, after years of arjprenticeship, at the same rate of pay as labourers?"

I FOOD IN RUSSIA. Mr! Alex. M. Thompson, associate editor of tlje London Clarion, very often writes most; informatively on Russian affairs. On the ff>od question the following appears jn the last issue to hand:— _ "E*e,i in the days of my stay m Russia, '* in the peas&rts were said to be burying ijttear grain because they would not sell it fog paper money They wanted -clotheand Spades and ploughs which thoy could not Buy, because, thoy said, the idle artisans fof the towns would not work. "This feud between peasants and work- ' menfhas steadily grown. Under the 80lBheviit Government, according to Russian refuses m Copenhagen, a huge contraband tradisin food has sprung up between town andlcountry; the peasants contrive to smuggle quantities of corn and bread to the v rich an exchange for gold and diamonds, whicji. ihey. store in bottles and bury. The , more'' cunning of tho peasants are thus accumulating fortur.es which thev count by numbers of buried bottles. But as all their produce beyond an allowance for their own needs is commandeered by the Government they tako care to produce no more • ( thanl they can themselves consume or tecre.% dispose of. '"Bhat is the explanation of the food sborjage given to me by people who have! lately left Russia. Ido not guarantee fts truth. I do not know the truth. 1 wanted., to go to Russia to seek it for myself '-tiricT"was not allowed even to speak to tVe Russian emissary."

I; AUSTRALIA FIRST. Recent visitors to report that ' the 'development of manufacturing industries is remarkable. Australians developing a faitlf in itself which is worthy of .emulation-. The I Australian Industries Association is a live; institution existing for the _ purpose of boosting commonwealth industries. The association has prepared 10 golden rules, andiwith the necessary verbal amendments thcjf could he adopted and acted on in the dorhjnioi. Here they are:— Remember jour country when makinj youfi purchases .... Don't rob your country by buying foreign goods when it is possible to obtain Australian, . Etery Is spent on goods not made in 'Australia swells the number of unemployed. Providence helps those who help themselves. Help yoirrself by insisting on Aus tralian-made goods. Australian-made goods give employment to Australian people. Always :nsisti on getting goods made heTei Bar loyal to your country and to own; self. Buy Australian-made goods. You reduce the area of unemployment by buying only Australian gooda. Australian manufactures arc as good as mvj and better than most. Make faith in the Australian article an article of your faith. In : all you eat, drink, and wear, cultivate the Australian habit.

j "THE REAL VICTIMS." Opening a congress of salaried workers, called the PrflfesH6rml:Worker9 l ;,l!oderatl,6?)J. at the Mfyfodrial Hall, -in I^nddli,: Lord Burnham ..saM the real victims of the social and industrial catastrophev'of' the, wav were the |manr i iiQ,!ithe..black:;coat and; the woman whofhad'tofkeep tip appearances. NeitheV eihployer-'nor employed in industry really suffered by the war. The employer had passed on his share in advanced prices, and/the worker had secured higher wages, with tho result that the industrial classes has actually improved their standard |6f living. Nevor were thoir children so hap6y, so well fed, and so: well clothed ;-as 10-d|,y. I: '. : ' Ldrd Burnham said he rejoiced that the standard of living had been raised, but he thoux.hJi.ihQ salaried and professional classes had- inot shared in this elevation. 'Ihcir bonuses: had certainly not been adequate to fctie#t : th© enormous increases in tho proved cost of living, and ho agreed with Lord Mrlncr that the professional classes worie hardily treated by the State in tho matter $t'"taxation. Resolutions, were passed urging the organisation of the professional classes in an effojft to obtain a satisfactory standard of life/olairoing that tho principle of the Whit- ' ley [report should bo applied to professional (•littles; against tho inequitable burden of thejincomo tax; for better housing schemes, induction of travelling fares, and abolition of profiteering. Work and wages in japan. 'Jso Church of America is conducting a nation-wide campaign lor more htiiaaiiitarian industrial conditions in Japan. need for it may be gathered trom tho rectal of a fow facts. The ,average ' pay of fixc§>ry girls is 18s 6d per month. Out of tlw£ wago tlie girl must pay 6s per month for ifood. Tho majority of Japaneso faotoric 8 stillSjnui day, and night sliitta of 12' houre «<acrji, with 30 minutes off for dinner and 15 mirtates' rest in the forenoon and afternoon. Holidays are rare. Tho majority of the factnrj| girls are from 15 to 20 years old, thoqjgh often girls from seven to 12 years ma.V: be found working there. jVfljoasures proposed by the Japanese Goveriisient£'to ameliorate the conditions' of factory' onrployment, according to the Rev. SidGiuiok, long a missionary in Japan, hav4> been brought to naught through tho rcftial of tho legislative branch of tho Goycrnftient.'to pass such mecsures. * Some, of tho factories have dormitories, in $hich tho girls live. They are carefully inside the dormitories, in many cases for :fear thoy will desert. The period for whiqh the girls "sign up" for factory work is tferco years. , Out. of every, thousand girto, ftutlstics show that 270 work less han six morijite in tho same place, 200 less than one yeafj 179 less than two years, and 141 less that} iivo years. Only 89 pass the five-year period. The reason for this is that the health of tho girls breaks down under tho long! hard work and tho bad hygienic conditions under which she works nnd lives. Tho Christian valuation; of womanhood, finpjiasised by Episcopal Church workers IMirnteating Japan, has helped greatly towards making the factory living and working "conditions much -better than, they wero 10 tkd"il&j®m as%