THE INDUSTRIAL WORLD

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18872, 26 May 1923, Page 15

THE INDUSTRIAL WORLD

MEWS AND NOTES. ! Br J. T. Paul. 'railway conditions. An allegation that some of the highly- ' placed officials of the Railway Department resort to bullying tactics when dealing with their subordinates was made at a silting of the Railway Appeal Board at Auckland. A witness named Horace Lawrence, a lifter at Newmarket, who was giving evidence, was questioned regarding a statement ho had made concerning a charge against the appellant whose case was oemg considered. Ho stated that when ho was taken before the locomotive engineer and questioned ho felt confused. In reply to Mr M. J. Mack, who appeared for the appellant, witness said his story was dragged out of him. Mr Mack, in response to an observation from the chairman (Mr J. G. L. Hewitt), asserted that bullying was a common practice, but this was warmly denied by the representatives of the department, who said it was not the custom of the department to obtain statements by unfair methods. The witness, in reply to the chairman, admitted that before he signed the statement it was read over to him. W.E.A. PROGRESS. = An interesting return, showing the number and character of the Workers’ Educational Association classes in the dominion and the number of students attending them, has just been prepared by the dominion secretary, Mr George Manning, in response to a request for such information from the International Federation of Trades Unions. The return shows that in 1920 there were 56 classes, 1474- students, and 39 public lectures; in 1921 there were 63 classes, 2151 students, and 54. public lectures; and m 1922 there were 75 classes, 2464 students, and 48 public lectures. , For the present year the detailed information is as follows: ! Subject. Classes. Students. Economics 20 550 Literature 11 438 History ... 12 346 Psychology 9 335 Music 5 223 Public Speaking ... 4 113 Sociology ■ 4 104 National Welfare ... 4 77 Social Hygiene 1 31 Electricity 1 55 Biology 1 25 Brama 1 115 Political Theory ... 1 16 Anthropology 1 27 Totals 75 2464 the total classes, 55 with 1914 students, study other than economic subjects, and 20 classes with 550 students study economic subjects. WHY LABOUR WON IN QUEENSLAND. - H. B. Boote, editor of the Australian VVorker, sums up the reasons why the Rabour Party won at the Queensland elections in the following terms: “T}? e . adoption of the Red Objective at the Brisbane Conference of 1921, together with the acceptance of the methods laid down for its attainment by the All-Australia Congress of Trade Unions, was an act the transoendant importance of which even many who participated in it did not fully grasp.

It inaugurated a new era in the Labour ! movement. It carried hope into places j where a gloomy scepticism had prevailed, i “The Queensland election was won on i the Rad Objective. “The solid record of the Theodore Government counted for a great deal. Its 1 abolition of the nominee chamber, its coura- j geous and successful essays in State enter- j prise, its defiance of the London money- I lenders, its effective check upon the worst I phases of profiteering, its maintenance of tiie standard of living, its helpful attitude towards the farmers and settlers, its intimate association with the industrial organisations —all this brought to the Theodore Government unprecedented support at the polls. “But the exhilarating spirit of the Red Objective was in the air. “Men and women were filled with an enthusiasm they had not known for years, and it was in the flush of a new-born ardour that they swept onward to a victory that has amazed the world, that has uplifted Labour, and confounded its enemies.” THE APPRENTICE QUESTION. XVhile New Zealand has been struggling with the apprentice question, some at the older countries of Europe have been making actual experiments towards a solution. In Franco some wonderful work has been done in training the war orphans. “The power 1 and hope of Franco reside in her young ; people, and the losses caused by a cruel war make their education and development her first duty,” wrote an American who was very much struck by the results obtained at the technical schools of apprenticeship organised by the Institution tor Wards of the Public School of Seine and Marne. The institution has issued a most interesting pamphlet, for a copy of which wo are indebted to the French Consul at Auckland (M. Paul Sorro). There are four schools, and in the establishment of them Franco was assisted generously by various countries. In the Uruguay-France School, 1 at Aeon, girls are trained in housekeeping; at the La Fayette School, at Champagne, boys are trained, in wood, iron, and steel work, and electricity; at Prossoira-du-Roi there is a horticultural training centre; and lastly there is the Pittsburg Agricultural Training Centre for the Department of Seine-et-Marne. , At La Fayette School the object is to train apprentices of straightforward character, and possessing in addition to actual manual dexterity sufficient general and technical knowledge to enable them to become good , workmen likely to rise to the position of 1 foremen directly the experience gained in j the workshop suffices to render their prac- | tioal training complete. The duration of ' the studies at the school is three years, j The method of deciding on which of the ■ four callings taught in the school the boy is to follow is managed in this way: XVhen the lads arrive one may say, “I would like 1 to be a mechanic,” while another may say | he would like to be a fitter, but none of them have much idea of the actual work of either a mechanic or a fitter. Therefore, the boy for the first five months works right through the departments learning to handle all hand tools. Then the boys are classified in order of merit, and according to that order of merit they make their final selection of which branch they will i take up. THE DOMINION AXVARD LEGISLATION. Under section 2 of the Arbitration Amend- \ ment Act, 1922, provision is made for a much simpler method of obtaining do- | minion awards than has been the case in | the past, when it was necessary to obtain 1 a local award and afterwards have its application extended to the rest of the dominion. Now a sitting of the Concilia- j tion Council has to be convened, covering the whole of New Zealand, when the claims are dealt with and referred to the Arbitration Court. 'I ho first application under the now con- ' ditions has been filed by the Amalgamated Society of Carpenters and Joiners citing over 2COO employers. It will be hoard on May 20. The assessors appointed by the applicants are Messrs T. Bloodworth (Auckland), H. Pottlo (Hawke’s Bay), J. Barra-s

(Wellington), E. C. Sutcliffe (Christchurch),, C. E. Hunt (Dunedin), and A. Cross (NclThe society claims a 40-honr week to Ire worked on live days, and a wage of £5 10s, casual workers of loss than one. week to be paid 3s per hour. It further asked that there shall bo no deduction from wages for holidays or sickness, also that a worker in charge of a job be paid 10s a week extra. Overtime is asked for _at the rate of double time. Additional paid holidays asked £6r are Anzae Day and pionio day. Among other demands are the following: Apprentices’ wages asked for are 30 nor cent, of journeymen’s wages for the first six months up to 90 per cent, for the next six months. An examination to bo made every six months by a joint board to ascertain whether an increase in apprentices’ wages is justifiable. If an apprentice passes a technical examination ho shall be given an advance in wages or have his period of apprenticeship curtailed. Whore an apprentice resides within three miles of a technical school ho shall bo given two halfdays off to attend the classes, and the employer shall pay his fees. Employers to replace tools stolen or damaged by fire. V* orkers carrying kits of tools or timber after working hours to bo paid double. In the preference clause, employers are asked to give three days’ notice to the union of the femployment of non-unionists, and t 0 supply the names of all workers in their .employ after being given a similar notice.

A dominion award for a period of two years is asked for.