THE INDUSTRIAL WORLD.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18760, 13 January 1923, Page 14

THE INDUSTRIAL WORLD.

■ NEWS AND NOTES. By J. T. Paul. SCHOOL-TEACHERS AND ARBTi RATION. ■ At the annual conference of the New South Wales Public School Teachers’ Federation it was decided to register under the . Federal Arbitration Act. Several teachers spoke strongly against the action Of the New South Wales Nationalist Government in taking from them the .right of access to the State Arbitration Court. The conference then carried a motion to register in the Federal Court. A motion was moved at the conference that members should not work with teachers who were non-unionists. Although the motion was ruled out of order several speakers were very outspoken in their remarks. One declared that there were 30C0 “blackleg ’ teachers in New South Wales. Another urged members to “out the blacklegs amt spineless teachers,” while yet another considered that they were “a menaceto the organisation.” STIFF PENALTIES. Contending that a clear attempt had been made to bring about by force what the legislature said should not be done, Judge .bdmunds, in tbe New South W’nlcs Industrial Court, fined the Federated Ironworkers and the Federated Society of Boilermakers £d9o each in connection with an illegal. strike. Judge Edmunds, in announcing his decision, said, in refusing to work under a 44-hour week while the award laid down 48 hours, he thought the unions had been guilty of a deliberate attempt, with full knowledge of what they were doing, to say they would resist the law and enforce full compliance with their demands. “.a I said there were the slightest grounds for mitigation in the claims advanced on behalf of the men, I would bo giving countenance to a suggestion that if there was only enough work, say, to keep all the members of the union working for 30 hours a week, the working week should bo only 50 hours. It would be repudiating the Act, repudiating the law, and repucliatinij this court,” his Honor said. "The court says to the men, ‘You have put yourselves outside this tribunal. All right, go outside; but don’t expect while, you do so to retain any benefits that the tribunal may confer upon you.’’ Mho applications for cancellation of the registration of the unions was deferred until after the vacation. If tho men got back ■to work-in the meantime, his Honor said he did not see any reason for cancelling the registration. If they did not get back to work what was tho use of keeping them on the books of the court? ' He had no hesitation in cancelling the preference clause in, the award of each union; with the proviso that the unions could apply, for. its reinstatement at any time. LABOUR’S NEW LEADER. : Mr Ramsay Macdonald was elected chairman of the British Parliamentary Labour Party in succesilln to Mr J. R. Clynes by 6T votes to 56, and is therefore the leader iof the Opposition in the House of Commons. *• ' It was a close fight between the trade unionists and tho “intellectuals” of the J-iibour Parly, and Mr Ramsay Macdonald’s -narrow victory is due to tho influence of the Scottish Labour members. When Mr Clynes was elected chairman '•'ho insisted unon a unanimous vote, but at tiie recent election he hinted that he was i- willing to servo with or under anybody, ;t and although the trade unionists are in a v majority in the Labour group they failed V to elect their champion, who relied on their £ loyalty. Since the general election result ■' it has become more and more obvious that 4 there is strong opposition in the Labour ; ranks to Mr Clynes, who in. Communistic | circles has been accused of possessing an ; “imperialistic mentality.” ; The Scottish Labour members were par- ; ticulnrlv active in their opposition, and I before the meeting they held a separate con- • teronce to mature their plans, i At the larger gathering at the House of : Commons there was a long ’and j: discussion. Mr J. 11. Thomas- nominaledb ; Mr dynes and one of the; Rpotlishr naetji-, :• beta proposed Mr Macdonald.',.,' •: Mr Clynes was appointed deputyi chairman and Mr Arthur Henderson was - ; elected Chief Whip. It was agreed that a seat would soon be found for Mr Hender- ■ son, who was defeated at Widnes. and Mr ; Ben Spoor was elected acting Chief Whip ; until such time as Mr'.Henderson returns to Parliament. ;• Mr Stephen Walsh and Colonel Josinh •; Wcdgewood were re-elected ns vice-cbair- > men, and Messrs Fred Hall. C. J. Ammon, j) W. l/iinn. Neil M‘Loan, J. Robertson, T. V Griffiths and Morgan Jones were appointed < Junior Whips. •b In a subsequent statement Mr Clynes ; said:—“l am not in the least disturbed by the result, though- I dislike, tljo pro- :, cedure whereby a largo 'number of now members decided for a change in the chair- :. manshin before the party meeting was held. ;• Quarrels among lenders have been the [: curse of parties and I never will take part :• in them. I have always said that our •i cause is greater than its advocates. That > is why I accepted the nosition of deputy- •[; leader', and will heartily co-operate with ■ Mr Macdonald in the work to be done,” THE NEW UNIONISM. Commenting on tho failure'of the sea- ,. men's strike in Sydney and tho complete absence of public sympathy for the strikers the Forum says:— “Before the rise of the new militant unionism, controlled by men who were out, not to win better conditions for themselves and their follows, but to subvert the exist- : mg'orcler of society, public opinion, in ;Australia at any rate, was strongly on the -side of the unionists in their efforts to .pthain better conditions of life. Tho new ■unionism and the men in control of it • have changed all that. The unionist leader 'pf the new school does not wish to see our ■industries prosperous and giving well-paid and constant employment to those working in them. His desire is lo see tho existing social order break down completely in the fantastic belief that out of the chaos cun bo evolved some better order of things. Of this the public is perfectly well aware, and, in consequence, it looks now with a ' “different eye on disputes in industries whore the militant spirit is dominant. Whereas •jt used tp assume that men had, or believed they had, a real grievance, which -they were trying to remedy, it now assumes imerely that the union bosses sec a chance •of harassing industry in furtherance of itheir schemes for a social revolution. With those schemes it has no manner of sym.pathy, and it bitterly resents the callous •way in which vital public services are held tup for such an object. Unionism will not [regain the place it once held in public estimation until it purges itself of this new -spirit and devotes itself once more to improving tho conditions of the workers. Any Such improvement is dependent on the prosperity of the industry in which tho workers are engaged. For a sane unionism which recognises that fundamental fact, there is an important place to fill in our industrial life. For a unionism that is out to wreck industry and fight employers on [every possible and impossible occasion there can bo no future that is not ruinous.” ; BRITISH MINERS’ WAGES. ; The extent to which British coal minors’ wages have fallen is shown in tho following table, which gives the average wage per shift in certain of tho larger districts for Juno, 1914, December, 1920 (tho highest point leached), and October, 1922: — June. Dec. Oct. - 1914. 1920. 1922. • s. <l. s. d. s. d. Scotland 6 9 23 6 8 44 Northumberland ... 6 2—■ 9 10* Durham 6 24 22 0 8 44 South Wales 6 94 25 9 8 64 Lancashire, Stafford- ! shire, and Cheshire 6 04 21 11 9 104 • It will be seen from these figures that a bower in South Wales, working five shifts a week, earns only 44s a week, while in the highest rated district (Nottingham) the wage o£ a hewer working a full week of five and a-holf shifts would only amount to 65s 3d. The plight of the labourers and the day wage men is, however, still more serious. In the Forest of Dean, the lowest rated district, the minimum wage for labourers is down to 5s lOd a shift, while in some districts tho minimum payable under the general provisions of the agreement has fallen: so low that it has been necessary, under a special clause contained in the agreement, to fix a. subsistence wage for these lower paid men. In Lancashire this subsistence wage has been fixed at 39s a week lor men over 21, and in 'Durham at 34s a Week. In the subsistence wage awarded by the impartial chairman in South Wales last month a distinction has been made between married and single men. For married men Over 21 a minimum of 7s 2d a shift has fceen fixed, and for single men 6s 8d a shift, ivhilo married men between 18 and 21, if not receiving more than 5s 9d, will be paid on additional 6d a shift, and single men ?d 0 shift. f : A Yorkshire miner tells a story which is not only racy of the soil, but has a definite bearing on the desperate situation in tho mining industry.

A collier’s pony fell dead. The matter was reported to the manager, who asked for an explanation of the mishap. The minor know of non©. “Did it bump its ’cad ” asked the manager. “Naw!” was the answer. “Did it wrench itscn ” “Naw!” “Well, m’lad, if tha’s noa reason tha’ll ’ev to goa. The pony deed o’ summit.” Threatened with unemployment, the minor found a reason. “Nail ah coom to think on it, ah took m’ pay-sheet aht o’ m’ pocket an’ ah saw that theer pony looking at it!”