INDUSTRIAL WORLD.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18293, 9 July 1921, Page 14

INDUSTRIAL WORLD.

NEWS AND NOTES. By J. T. Paul. UNEMPLOYMENT. Mr Justice Heeby, President of the New South Wales Board of Trade, commenced a preliminary inquiry into the question of unemployment insurance a fortnight ago. There was a large attendance of representative employers and unionists. After a few introductory remarks, the Judge said the board had no theory of its own, and had called the public meeting in order to give all who had studied the question an opportunity of putting their views before the board. About 40 representatives of employers, employers’ associations, and industrial unions gave their names and expressed their readiness to discuss the question with the board.

Judge Beeby suggested that the parties might consider the information made avail, able by the board, meet in consultation, and (bon come before the board on some future date prepared to discuss the whole matter, the discussion to be confined to some selected men representing the various industries.

.FEDERAL ARBITRATION COURT. In his letter of resignation as President of the Commonwealth Arbitration Court Air Justice Higgins pointed out that the Industrial Peace Act has undermined the influence and usefulness of the Arbitration Act, and bad created a position which would surely give rife to many industrial troubles. Special tribunals could not carry the same responsibility as a permanent court of a judicial nature, and could not have in mind to the same extent ns the court the probable effect of one award on mother industry. A permanent tribunal of reason could not work side by side with executive tribunals of panic. He avas not prepared to accept responsibility for tho court under the new conditions.

Mr Justice Higgins also entered a strong protest regarding the neglect of the Prime Minister to eons'dt either with Air Justice Powers or himself as to the details of any of the bills nr to invite suggestions, although his experience weuld have been gindly nvrTe available for the benefit of the country. llis resid-iatim was due te his opiniop T'af t*'e public usefulness of the court had. b- the passage of (he Industrial Peace Bill, been fatally injured. TRADE UNION GROWTH. The following comparative figures showing the membership of trade unions in various parts of tho world hive been published in the Labour press of several countries;

APPRENTICESHIP. The Now South Wales Hoard of Trade ha-, b-en considering the general question of apprenticeship, and propose the following vacillations, which will bo finally considered ajter hearing the various interests concerned : No minor shall be ornploycd, except as an indentured apprentice, or probationer intending to become an apprentice. No minor under 14 to be admitted into any of the occupations concerned. Apprenticeship may ho to any employer or to any association of employers. The term of apprenticeship shall not exceed five vears, but shall vary according to age ns follows:—Under 16. five years; between 16 and 17. four years; between 17 and 18, three years; ove>- 13, for s"ch,.period as many be ordered by the prescribed authority. At bricklaying, not exceeding three vears ; at builders’ labcuring, not exceeding two years. Apprentices shall attend a continuation or trade school, nr technical college, or any approved institution for continued education. (Annrent'ces who have net yet reached their 16th birthday to do so in the employer’s timed If anv apprentice in his own time comuiWes a full-time coume at such school, and obtains a eertipeat-* of proficiency, the term of such course shall be counted as part, of bis apprenticeship. The proposed scale of wages is as follows: Reg inning between 14 and 15: First year, 15s up to £2 7s 6d. Beginning between 15 and 16: First vear, 17s 6d to £2 12s 6d. Beginning between 16 and 17; First year, 25s to £2 12s 6d. ' Beginning between 17 and 18: First year 30s to £2 17s 6d. JOTTINGS. The Communist Party of' Australia has opened a Sunday school for children at Sydney. Mrs Adela Pankhurst Walsh is the superintendent. »The songs of William Morris are being adopted for school hymns, and the children will he taught ten Socialist commandments.

Nowhere else in the world i? electric power so generally list’d ns in Switzerland. In Lucerne, with 40.000 inhabitants, to take- one example, only 20 small houses are without, electric light. There are seven electric bakehouses, 1000 electric motors. 3500 electric stoves for heating, 2000 electric cooking stoves, and over 5000 cleotric irons in use among the inhabitants. “Local builders may not like the idea of houses being landed on our wharves like motor cars,” said a Wellington land agent, “but American mills are turning them out in wholesale quantities, with flic parts all numbered and marked in.such a wav that they ran bp erected in two or three weeks. Tile present cost of building i 5 vorv high and money is scarce, but the imported house may come to New Zealand from Canada sooner than expected.” Tho Wellington brickie vers’ dispute will come before the Conciliation Council on Monday next. 'Hie demands filed by the union include one for a w eek's work "of 40 hours, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.. with ono hour off for lunch on five days in the week from August Ito April 30. From May 1 to July 31 the hours of work shall be, it is proposed, from 8 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. on each day. with half an hour for dinner. The union therefore proposes that no work shall be done on Saturdays. Exploitation of water-power in Canada is proceeding rapidly. The dominion disposes already of approximately 2,000.000 h.p. It is estimated that within the next two years the total iimomit of available cloctrie.al energy will have been increased to 3,000,000 h.p. There will, however, remain plenty of room for further development in tin's direction, as Canada's total available developed and undeveloped water-power exceeds 20.000.000 h.p. ‘‘Electrical machinery can bp made in Australia, 40 per rent, cheaper than in England or America.’’ James Taylor, a public accountant, of Sydney, hurled 'the statement at tho Electricity Commission. Mr Justice Wade and counsel were puzzled, but James Taylor was positive about it. ''Only the other day,” he said, “the manager of a big engineering company told me something. He said that lie had given up importing to make between 30 and 50 per cenl. in the manufacture of machinery in Australia.” M iss I’earl White, the American kinema star, who is visiting Paris, was being shown round the printing works of the theatrical paper Comrerlia recently. Suddenly she sat down before a linotype machine and set up several lines of type. Then turning round with a smile, she exclaimed: “Ah, yon are surprised. But. you see, T used to work in a. composing-room wlion 1 was 12 years old. and I have never forgotten niy first, ‘trade.’ ” Tho scheme for amalgamating into one union all tho workers in (lie building trades in Wellington is st.ill under Consideration. A draft constitution has been submitted to the various unions concerned, aifd this will be discussed at a meeting of the building trades executive, to bo hold shortly. It is understood that ono of tho objects of the new movement is to have one award governing all classes of building trades workers, instead of a multiplicity of awards affecting individual unions, such as carpenter?, plumbers, plasterers, etc.

Count ry. 1910 1919. Germany 2.950,000 9,000,000 United Kingdom ... 2.400,000 8.024,000 U.S.A 2,103,000 5,607,000 Kussia 50,000 5,000,000 F ranee 977,000 2.500.000 Italy 317,000 I. £03,00.9 Belgium 150,030 750.COO Netherlands 154,COO 625,000 Denmark 124,000 560.CC9 Sweden ... 115.090 339.009 Norway 47,000 144,000 Finland 15,000 41.COO Switzerland 75.030 224.000 Spain 41.099 211.000 Austria. 200.009 772,000 Hungary C/echo-Slovakia .. 35. con 103.000 530.000 657.CC0 Boumania 3 030 ♦ Canada 123.0:3 373,000 Australia 532.039 623.CO0 New Zealand , ... 57,030 100,000 Serbia (Jugo20,000 slavia! 7.0*0 * Figures not available.