THE INDUSTRIAL WORLD.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19009, 3 November 1923, Page 18

THE INDUSTRIAL WORLD.

- NEWS AND NOTES. Br J. T. Paitu NATIONAL INSURANCE. Tha Federal Parliamentary Commission appointed to inquire into the question ol national insurance commenced its sittings in Melbourne. An important aspect affecting the existing personal liabilities of employers will be the phase relating to accident insurance, li is considered unlikely, should any scheme be adopted, that employers will be called upon to contribute to an insurance fund without securing protection for themselves. Unemployment insurance, old ago, and invalid pensions, superannuation, and maternity allowances also will be considered in conjunction with the scheme. Financiers, bankers, friendly society officials, representatives of insurance companies, medical men and others will be examined during the course of the inquiry. SICK PAY NOT PROVIDED FOR. The Minister for Works in the Queensland Government (Mr Forgan Smith) discussing the Unemployed Insurance Act, said recently that many applications had been received for sustenance from men who were unemployed owing to illness. Mr Smith pointed out that the Act was an Unemployed Workers’ Insurance Act, and did not provide for sustenance for invalidity, consequently no payment could be mad© on those claims. Later on when the, scheme had been in operation long enough firmly to establish the solvency of the funds the question of extending into the field of invalidity insurance would bo fully considered. AUSTRALASIA TEACHING THE WORLD. The New York Sun, in a recent editorial, gave special praise to Australasia over its policy of immigration for the select. It declared that the increase of population was relatively rapid, despite the strict standards. The newspaper applauded Australasia’s intention to chock any possibility of developing into undemocratic States, based on slavery or cheap labour. In the same connection the Sun is impressed by the excellent showing of Australasian vital statistics, declaring that New Zeaand and Australia are the world’s index of civilisation in this respect. The article concludes: “These British States of the South Seas can teach the world much concerning the conservation of human life.” AMERICA’S IMMIGRATION LAWS. “The present law limits immigration to 3 per cent, of the nationals resident in the United States, according to (be census of 1910.” says the New Statesman. “One objection to this is that the method is restrictive but not selective; that is to say, it gives the authorities no power to discriminate between the races. Hence the proposal, recently much discussed, for using the, census of xBUO (before the great incursions of Southern Europeans) as the basis of computation so as to increase the relative percentage from Britain and Northern Europe. The educated and governing classes in America have lately been impregnated with the fashionable idea of the ‘Great Nordic Race,’ and the national immigration policy bears distinct traces of it.” HINTS FOR SPEAKERS. Popular speeches do not just happen (says William J. May in the London Daily Herald), They are always carefully made. Even the man who can .make a good speech .at three minutes’ notice has had to develop his ability by study and care. Know what you want to say. Put it into a sentence or two. Then when you have planned your speech see whether you have said it. ... Every good speech has a beginning, a climax, and an end. Many speeches begin in confusion, continue in a muddle, and end in bewilderment. 'Make sure of a good start. A good laugh- or a hearty cheer after the first sentence or two carries you half way to success. If you are speaking from a platform pitch your voice to reach the clock in the front of the gallery. Tell a good story if you know one, but make sure you know how to tell it. A story that falls flat is a disaster. Be brief. The fact that a practised orator can hold an audience for an hour docs not prove that you can. If you do not know that, other people do. ~ ' I RUSSIA IMPROVING. Summing up the position in Russia Mr J. M. Ken wort by, M.P., says that tnc people are miserably poor, but things aye getting better. Law and order reign in the cities and the Government is stable. It is modifying its poljcy every day, and Ihe moderates arc gradually dominating the - extremists. Russia has reached the lowest depths and is now in the ascendant. Of how many countries in Europe can the same be truthfully said? The American Relief Commission has now completed its work in Russia, and members of the commission have returned to U.S.A. Some idea of the -magnitude of the task undertaken by the commission in feeding the starving masses of Russia can be gathered from the fact that in two years the • commission spent £15.000,000, which was a free gift from Americans to starving Russia. No fewer than 250 Americans took part in the work, and 125,000 Russians were employed.. In . all, about_ 20 million dollars’ worth, of corn, four millions of army surplus stores and medicines were distributed, as well as rice, flour, cocoa, sugar, lard, and tinned milk in huge quantities. The maximum number of people fed on one day was 10,540,000. Four hundred and sixty ships, many over 10,000 tons, were engaged to take supplies to Russia, and 70.000 cars were run over the broken-down railways, whilst camels, sledges, and barges wore also used, INDUSTRIAL DISPUTES. Summarised information regarding trade unionism, unemployment, prices, rents, and wages is contained in the thirteenth annual labour report of the Commonwealth Bureau of Census and Statistics. Last year 445 Industrial disputes occurred in Australia, involving 116.332 work people and entailing an estimated loss in wages of £751,507. From 1918 to 1922 there were 2381 disputes, involving 651.029 work people and the loss of 10.575,408 working days. The estimated loss in wages in this period was £7.056,331. The report contains several new features. The results of investigations concerning organisation amongst employers are given, and show that there are 467 organisations, with 51.706 members. The number of unemployed members of trade unions reporting to the bureau was high during the year, and averaged .9.3 per coni. The. average cost of food, groceries, and house rent in the six capital cities was 5.7 per cent, less in 1922 than in the immediately preceding year. Compared with the year 1911, the index number for the year 1922 shows an increase of 60 per cent. Wholesale prices declined during the year by 7.6 per cent., but were still 75.8 per cent, higher than in 1911. The average nominal rate of wage for Australia fell during 1922 from 94s 6d to 91s 6d, but as the result in the decrease in the cost of living, as measured by the coot of food, groceries, and house rent, the effective or real vvagns were higher in 1922 than in 1921, and arc now 12.6 per cent, higher than in 1911. JOTTINGS. One of America’s historic unionists is Skip Jackson, who is 102 years of age, and still loading coal. He is a. negro, and he mined his first coal in the days of slavery. Mr Randolph Bedford, the newly-elected member of the Queensland Assembly representative of Warrego, has long been picturesquely prominent in Australian political and literary life. Widely travelled, be has written a number of hooks, and has lectured largely. Mr Bedford (remarks the Worker) affects a vvide-rinnncrl kind of cowboy hat, which certainly adds to his conspicuousness even if it doesn t add to his beauty. When Vaughan Bros, were excavating a 10ft basement for an eight-storey building opposite the Central Telegraph Exchange in Lonsdale street. Melbourne, workmen unearthed 17 sovereigns, all dated 1850. In the days when Lonsdale street was not Lonsdale street, a man is sunnosed to have buried 4000 sovereigns, and these stray ones are believed to bo part of (he buried treasure. In the New South Wales Parliament several Labour members protested against the failure of the Chief Commissioner for Railways to pay the basic wage increase from the date, of publication. The increase was made on September 7, and the Railway •Commissioners were not paying it until October 12. Thus the railway employees were deprived of the increase for five weeks.