INDUSTRIAL WORLD.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17900, 3 April 1920, Page 14

INDUSTRIAL WORLD.

NEWS AJND NOTES.

Bi J, T. Paujl

THE WEEK. The cables now amyiag from Sydney support my statement ci a few weeks ago ■with _ roforemae to tho likely effect of the deaisiona of certain unioirvj in tho building trade to work a fiv»<lay week. Hi© unions interested in the now movement decided to work on frr® days only, and by resolution cgreed not to "tun* out" on Saturdays. I pointed out fhat euch a method could not succeed without a severe struggle. Tho reasons' in support of tho opinion are obvious. If employers acquiesced in the arrarkgerrwnt made on this point by the unions concerned it would not be long before tho unions by resolution would reeolte on some other restriction. Tho fiveday week of 44- hours might be a perfectly workable proposition, but it is on© on which employers have a right to be consulted. As events are tending now an immediate and possibly protracted struggle is 'oertain. .: ONE BIG AY,'A III). The decision of the An irv,rtitm Court with reference to the n;>:>!,(uunn fur ono award to cover several s of tho building industry was ri.x to those employers and v. nru. : s who were amrions to reduce the wnt.bM- or .-waxda •uncler which they are i;t ".- .irking. When I wrote my noto <.1 this nation last week the court had. n<;- t<> the Prefea^ Association report, lirtu-arw';! i.«io application, intimating that ,'t* <!< cNio-i hs to f ; the grouping of reht •'<•(! Ics v.ould be;.'delivered lata:. 'ili.is tlrt-ision' was simply that combined awards covering more than ono trade could only bo made by conrcnt of those ' covered. The practical result of that decision mil be that no such awards will be made, for the reason that thet© is certain to -be some objectors whenever such an application as that at present before the court in Aucldand is made. The addresses of the advocates in connoot.ion with ttio present application were interesting. Mr Wright (for tho cm-plotei-s) laid spcaal on the fact tlhat. unifer the present regulations for Conciliatiaii Council procedure it woold be almost impossible for the branch trades to obtain adequate representation owing to the personnel of ihe three assessors. Mr Blocd-vroi-th (for the workers) made a strong point of a table shoving that a number of men employed at the different trades working with tho members of the union far otitveighed the employers in the trado, and were absolutely unanimous in their desire for in combined award They were also supported by a big section of the employers, as against which the employers were divided, only a portion of them opposing the application. I3fALT-RATES TOR WOMEN AND i . APPRENTICES.

In gome notes on the cases before the Arbitration Court in Aneklarrti, "Industrial Tramp" (of the Star) offers the following observations on the question of half-rato bonus payments to women and lads: —

"An interesting: point, worthy of notice, is the granting of half-rates only to women workers and apprentices. Unions representing female workers in their applications asked for the same rate as for male workers —viz., 4s per week, —but. they were promptly told that the Government Statistician had computed his recommendation on the basis of an average family of a man—his wife ana two children,—therefore, apprentices and, women 'workers were only to receive half-rates. In -vain did the secretary of tho" Tailoresses' Union point out to the court that there were numbers of her members who had dependants on their earnings; that the average woman worker was conipelled to expend more of her wages on clothing than tho average male, The court accepted her .arguments with courtesy and •deference, but its decision remains unaltered. "A mere man secretary endeavoured to clinch the previous reasoning by citing tho patent fact that the average apprentice rejoiced in a healthy appetite, and could eat twice as much as the average adult; but the court was adamantine, and the apprentice with the four shilling appetite was put on the two shilling schedule along with the female worker. The court had adopted that scale in its decisiiShs in the south, and tho! north would have to be content with tho same differentiation. In answer to tho contention of the lady secretary that her members had to lay out more in clothes than the male workers, the learned judge advanced ' a somewhat risky point without taking into consideration the extent to which its logic might extend. He stated ('■• at the two shillings per week had been granted to the women workers in the south, and it should be quite sufficient for the Auckland' workers, for with such a genial climate in their favour the_ ladies of Auckland could wear less clothing and so save expense!"

THE PASSING OF THE FOREMAN. The secretary of the United iitates Navy stated recently that " oil burners are drivings coal burners from the ocean, and to- , day something like 60 per cent, of American 1 merchant vessels are using oil." The Cunard liner Aquitonia was recently despatched to the Tyne to have oil fuel burners installed. It has been pointed out by a fireman in the London Daily Herald that the geooral adoption of this change will: mean that " thousands of firemen and trirjimers will be pushed into the ranks of tiio- unemployed." The original stokehold complement of the Acfiiitania was about' 200 firemen and 100 .triritaiers, and these were djvided into three Watihes. The daily consumption of fuel by the 190 fires averaged about IGOO tons. With the substitution of oil, firemen will bo 'able to take charge of from 12 to 18 fireS each, and the trimmers, having no coal to trim, will be converted into "wipers," ais only two or three will bo needed in a section oi 64 fires. The leading'' firemen, or "pushers," as they are called in Liverpool, will be pushed out altogether. The reduction in the "black crowd " will certainly not bo less than two thirds.

Other important economies will be made, for>there will be no need for shovels, rakes, slices, lazy-bars, barrows, and which apf; all implements essential to coal impediment of ashes, par-ticularly-in the vicinity of the ash-ejectors, will be /removed, and the steam will not be reduced: ;by the. complicated business of clcaningl* fires.-. Above all, considerable bunker space ..will be saved, and this can readily be adapted for. cargo purposes. It is likely .that the' near future will s«-e a greater number of ships fitted with internal combustion engines, and ?s this method dispenses with steam as an r.usiiinry, still' greater economies will bo e.Teetcd, fori the boiler rooms will disappear entirely.

IS A.BUILDING GUILD PRACTTC ABLE?

Supplementary, to my note of last week on ;ihe 'organisation of a Building Guild in Manchester, the following- from the Manchester Guar<'in'i is interesting:— The const'tut.on of the Building Guild Committee is a blend of the practical with the* theoretical. Whilst the immediate purpose is to build houses and so relieve the present congestion, the ultimate aim is a National Building Gaild. The present intention is to confine the membership of the Building Guild CJcrmmittcq';to the smallest number consistent with representation upon it of aO tin trades eoncorKed. Probably 10 or a dozen for Manclisjjtcr would suffice. As .the movement extends to other towns and; districts similar committees would be formed, but, it is hoped, lirfked up with t ho: I parent body, an administration comma!! to all bemjr desiraisl© if not necessary. On this committee, in addition to the trade representatives,, would sifc one representative from tho administration and one from the technical, architectural, and survey. Irr regard to the technical services, -steps have already been taken to secure iio best blent. No contractor ca® obtain better m«ir than those already approached by the Guild' Committee. It; is in the labour department that we shrill lind tho widest divergence from eoystpractice. Here democratic control must pr'owiil from tho - chief director down to obscure job._ It 19 specifically set out, .in tho most original memorandum, to ho subsequently embodied in tlie formal (lociimcnt constituting tho committee, that tho direction and cbscipline of the whole labour forco shall be. confined to mm in pooti trade union staoding. "Whether tho committee shall appoint the foremen, or whether they shall be ohoaen by their colloagueg on tho sito ia of no great consequence; the important thing ffl that tho work eha.ll proceed with tho assent anfl'good-will of the workore concerned. Ifc.'is sound GuiUl doctrine that the State F-liall- own all material and asjets, holding theni nn trust both for the comnmnity ond (ii- 'guilds. Xfro: peculiar property of tho National Guilirl. is the organised monopoly of its own I n.botir power. Property is rightly vested in the State; control with tho guilds. This is the fundamental difference between the National Guildaman and the Syndicaiiat.