INDUSTRIAL WORLD

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23500, 14 May 1938, Page 23

INDUSTRIAL WORLD

NEWS AND NOTES

By J. T. Paul

Dictatorship means the subordination of the individual to the State, it means the imprisonment of the mind, it means restriction on the written and spoken word, even the unuttered thought; it means that man is no longer free to be himself, but can only be the expression of another man’s personality.—Colonel Sir Thomas Moore, M.P., in the Empire Review. ORGANISATIONS OF YOUTH The British Trades Union Congress has started 1938 with a great campaign for the Trade Union organisa lion of the young. More than two million boys and girls between 14 and 17 are employed in Britain in industry agriculture transport, trade, clerical occupations domestic service, and unskilled labour Since 1934, young unemployed workers under 16 have had to register in the juvenile labour exchanges. The Trade Unions demand lor the young workers minimum wage rates, to be negotiated by Trade Unions the 40-hour week (including time for educational facilities), a fortnight’s annual holiday with pay. abolition of overtime and night work for all workers under 18 years of age, adequate unemployment insurance benefits (the present scab of only 3s per week for young persons between 14 and 16 whose parents are also unemployed is regarded as inadequate), health insurance benefits (young workers from 14 to 16 at present receiving no cash benefits during sickness), and raising of the school-leav-ing age of 16 (with adequate maintenance allowances). LABOUR IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA At the Country Conference of the South Australian Labour Party, held at Burra, delegates declared that lack of effective party organisation, particularly in country districts, and disaffection and disruption in the metropolitan section of the Labour Movement were the reasons why Labour suffered defeat in the recent S.A. State elections. It was also declared that Labour would have to concentrate on winning more country seats in order to win a State election under the system of single electorates. The following proposed plan was adopted as a recommendation to the annual State Labour Conference in September for improving labour organisation:—Appointment of a State organiser; appointment of a committee of three by the State Conference to reorganise and reapportion the duties of officers in the central office of the party; greater co-operation between the Parliamentary Labour Party and labour local committees in forming new branches of the party; greater attention bv electorate committees to organising in country districts; appointment of an honorary parliamentary commission to visit country centres to hear representations from those districts, and to submit requests made to the Government departments concerned. A CHEERING OUTLOOK The recovery in earning power began as long as five years ago (says the London Economist), and some slackening of tempo might have been expected in its later phases. Actually, the pace of recovery was quickened last year, for reasons which deserve close examination. Nearly 70 per cent, of the profits in last year’s sample were, in fact, reported before June 30, and were largely earned before March 31, 1937. In the twelve months to March 31 last the Economist’s index of business activity was 7 per cent, higher, on the average, than in the preceding twelve months. Further, our index of the wholesale commodity prices during that period was 9 per cent, higher than during the preceding year. At the end of 1937 our business activity index was still slightly higher than at the end of March, but the index of commodity prices had fallen by 11 per cent. Investors and the Exchequer may be fairly safe in reckoning on at least another year of rising earnings, despite the setback to prices in the latter months of last year. TRADE UNION MOVEMENT IN CZECHOSLOVAKIA At the end of 1937 the Czechoslovakian Trade Union Centre had a membership of 684,041 as against 628,668 at the end of 1936. The total also includes 16 German Unions with an aggregate of 202,589 members. The various unions associated with the' National Centre issued 105 trade papers, including 60 in Czech. 41 in German, two in Hungarian, and two in Polish. The National Centre has 29 local offices to link up organisation in the different regions ol the country, During the year further progress was made towards the unification and strengthening of the National Centre, and several amalgamations were carried out. The National Centre has had an active influence on national economic policy by submitting to the Government a number of economic proposals to ensure and promote work creation. These endeavours have not been without success. SOCIAL SECURITY JiN THE UNITED STATES The' problem of old-age protection is to-day (writes Senator Lodge, in the Christian Science Monitor) the concern and the responsibility of our nation as never before in history. The life span of the average citizen is increasing. In less than 40 years the proportion of those people over 6a years of age in the United-States has practically doubled. But here lies the tragedy. While an increasing number of our citizens can look forward to a ripe old age, industry to-day places so great a premium on youth that almost insurmountable obstacles prevent these aging people from acquiring gainful employment. It is evident, therefore, that we must leave no stone unturned in securing our aged from the hazards of an uncertain future. The Social Security Act sought to embody this praiseworthy objective in its provisions, but it has fallen short of achieving this goal. Authorities agree that the present Social Security Act. because of the haste in which it, was conceived, contains weaknesses which will make impossible the attainment of its farreaching objectives. If we are to be counted as sincere friends to the cause of old-age protection, we should see the present Social Security Act for what it is—not a completed and- laultless monument to social security, but rather a constructive measure with defects that we dare not ignore if we are to solve effectively the nroblpi. of old-age dependency. It is easv enough to find fault, bui it is my intention to dc more than criticise.' I have consequently introduced in the Senate of the United States a bill “t< reduce the taxes of workers and employers and honestly to safeguard old-age funds.” This measure, officially known as S 3535 represents a series of amendments to the present Social Security Act, designed to eliminate the (our outstanding defects of its old-age provisions—defects which the Christian Science Monitor has frequently pointed to as possibly requiring revision These amendments I have submitted will: (]' Decrease payroll taxes; (2) establish a pay-as-you-go policy with ' moderate contingent reserve - (3) decentralise the administration of this reserve: (4) “ nail down ” the monev so that it will be used for old-age pensions and not for current cost of the Government.