THE INDUSTRIAL WORLD.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19067, 12 January 1924, Page 14

THE INDUSTRIAL WORLD.

NEWS AND NOTES. B* J. T. Paul. CLERGY AS ECONOMISTS. The right course is not to warn the Church off the course altogether (says Dean Inge!, but to point out to the clergy. and others that they have a most important and indispensable duty to perform as economists — namely, to educate the people of all classes to “covet earnestly the best gifts,” avoiding foolish and vulgar expenditure, which always means diverting labour from worthy to unworthy objects, and helping men to get their affections on the treasures of the mind and spirit, which in the strict sense are the only true and inalienable wealth. LABOUR AND CAPITAL LEVY. If Labour intends to abandon the proposed Capital Levy it would be wiser to say so unambiguously (remarks the Westminster Gazette). As for ourselves, we have always held that the income tax all d estate duties offer the maximum of flexibility in the raising of money, are fairer in their incidence, and create less financial disturbance than any other imposition. Mr Snowden is quite right. If ever Capital Levy was opportune it is so no longer. The mere threat of an election has caused an immense change in values in first-class securities. THE* APPRENTICES’ ACT. A move in connection with the new Apprentices’ Act which recently came into force, and'the object of which is to regulate the supply of apprentices in skilled trades, has been made by the Registrar of Apprentices at the Auckland Labour Department’s Office. Just prior to the holidays the headmasters of the various schools in the city and suburbs were circularised in order to ascertain the number of boys who would be leaving school and taking up skilled work. These have brought forth many applications from boys, and also reports from headmasters, and the next stop will be to circularise the employers of skilled labour to find out just which employers will have vacancies for apprentices, and this will be done as soon as possible. In the meantime any employer requiring an apprentice may peruse the list of applications by calling at the office of the Labour Department. The applications already received cover electrical and motor engineering. boileriftaking, - carpentering, plumbing, painting, cabinetmaking, carriage painting, and plastering. HOLIDAYS IN AWARDS. During the hearing of the dispute in the private hotels in Oamaru before the Conciliation Council an interesting discussion took place. Mr R, H. Watson (for the employees) said that in previous councils an annual twoweek holiday on full pay was agreed upon, but it had not been embodied in the award. The Commissioner stated that it was usual for the court to allow one week’s holiday, and gave a list of places in which it was in force. Mr Cecil Jackson (employers) said that he supported the admission of two weeks . day in the award. Mr Jones (employers): Is this a matter of compulsion, Mr Chairman? The Commissioner; Yes, I see it is in every award. Mr Jackson said that be recognise! the work of his men, and gave a holiday as it was ■ Mr Watson: Ah, but all men are not so •generous. Some of them if you gave them 19s and 12d for the £ would want 19s and lid. The Commissioner: What do you say, Mr Jones? Mr Jones: No, we will not agree to a holiday. That was our decision The Commissioner: Did you have anyone at your meeting to advise you as to the legal position ? Mr Jones: No. The Commissioner: I have no doubt that the court will award it if the union brings it. up It is a pity you did not have someone at your meeting who knew something about the business. I should advise you to agree to it, Mr Jones. As an assessor, you should take a lead. Mr Watson: I must say that the Oamaru employers are, as a rule, generous and hard-working—some of them work as hard as their workers. Mr Jones: ■ Although it is a hardship to some of us, we agree to the week in 12 months. Mr Watson: And if a girl leaves in 11 months? Mr Jones: She gets no holiday Mr, Hagger then read out the Westland award, which allowed 48 hours per week and a week’s holiday. Miss Boyle (employers) said that the employers would not agree to any proportionate allowance “It’ll have to go to court, then,” said Mr Watson. “You’re kicking over the traces now,” said Mr Jo* ss. “I’ll give you one week, and not a- minute more. There’s, not one in my employ, who can’t save £1 a week, and they are more able to pay for a holiday than I am to pay them.” Miss Boyle : We’ll agree t<3 a week after 12 months, and that’s all. The Commissioner: Well, it’ll have to go to court. Mr Watson: I may say that we have exceeded our instructions to meet you, though we are prepared to go to court. The final position is that the parties agreed to differ. BASIC WAGE QUESTION. Mr B. L. Hammond (assistant secretary of the New Zealand Employers’ Federation) has replied as follows to the statement hy Mr J. Roberts (secretary of the Alliance of Labour) with regard to the question of the Arbitration Court hearing argument on the basic wage:— “Having already placed before the public facts which will enable them to form their own opinions on the matter in issue. I do not propose to enter into any further discussion through your columns, except out of courtesy to Mr Roberts, to 'answer the three specific questions ho has asked of me. “Mr Roberts’s first question is; ‘Did the Court of Arbitration agree to bear argument on the basic wage question at the Auckland silting?’ My reply to that question is that the Court of Arbitration did so. conditionally upon all parties concerned being agreed upon that course.’ “The second question is; ‘Did it not. make it a. condition that the New Zealand Employers’ Federation agree to a date for bearing with the New Zealand Alliance of Labour?’ To that I say. ‘Yes,’ and that it did so. because, as I nreriously asserted, the court had no jurisdiction to hear the application bv the Alliance cf Labour except with the concurrence of all parties concerned—in this -instance the New Zealand Employers’ Federation representing the employers generally. The very fact of requiring the concurrence of the employers was an indication that the court recognised its inability to deal with the matter except by consent of all parties concerned. If it was not so, why did the court not communicate with (he Now Zealand Employers’ . Federation in regard to the matte” instead of leaving the Alliance of Labour to arrange a hearing? “The remaining question is: ‘Did not the New Zealand Employers’ Federation, through their secretary, Mr Bishop, by telephone message and by letter, pointblank refuse to agree to a date?’ Mv answer to that is ‘Yes.’ Mr Bishop did refuse to agree to a hearing, for (ho good and sufficient reason that in the opinion of this federation the application was made at an improper time and in an improper manner. “In conclusion. I can only liken the attitude of the Alliance ’of Labour in this instance to that of a spectator who maintains silence whilst, the fight is on. directlv awaits the conclusion of the fight, and the departure of the combatants to a distance beyond sight and hearing, then enters the ring to gallantly issue a challenge. and, finding no response, complains bitterly to his supporters that be wasn't given an opportunity to fight owing to the cowardice of the combatants who had retired, I hardly think that such conduct will impress the public or any section of it as being commendable.” JOTTINGS, An hotelkeeper stated at the sitting of the Conciliation Council in Oamaru that he was at present paying £56 6s 8d per ton for potatoes. “ In all big communities there are mean employers and mean workers, and they let down the others,” said the South Island Conciliation Commissioner at a recent sitting of the council. “In my early days,” said Herbert Spencer, “I constantly made the foolish supposition that conclusive proof would change beliefs, but experience dissipated my faith in man’s rationality.” As before in history (says (he Century). We are standing paralysed between the old world that is dead and the new is yet unborn. Such an interim is always dangerous. '