The Labour World.

Southland Times, Issue 19248, 11 June 1921, Page 10

The Labour World.

(Conducted by D. Scott\ From the Co.-Op. News:—The National Union -of Journalists was among the bodies which held their annual conferences at the Easter wek-end. It is an interesting sign of the times to find the delegates assembling to represent about 5,000 journalists organised in a trade union. This union had its genesis in Manchester, and had to overcome very serious prejudice, jfor journalists had ideas of their own superiority, which made it seem infra dig for them to resort to the same methods of improving their standard of living that had been resorted to by railwaymen and dockers. Five thousand are now organised in the union. The union has entered into affiliation with the Printing and Kindred Trades Federation, and it is affiliated with the Trades Unions Congress. They discuss strike policies, and strikes have already taken place; they discuss also such questions as “a share in the management,” and the newspapers proprietors now meet them and agree upon minimum rates of wages upon a national scale, ihe change is mteresting, and wo believe that one effect of the development of this organisation will be that more and more of the pressmen of the country will acquire a better understanding of the workingclass point of view. At last week’s conference one delegate warned his friends that if they persisted in writing artie’es for capitalist employers showing reasons why wages should come down, they would have no reason to complain if the capitalist newspaper proprietors belie, ed them, and applied their arguments. LORD ASKWITH’S ADVICE. Lord Askwith in the concluding paragraph of his book on industrial problem disputes say: ‘lf the orderly advance of peaceful development is to be obtained, in place of surging storms of hatred and strife, there must be more knowledge, so that men should not blindly follow guides who may be blind. There must be simple and plain modes of bringing forward grievances and avoiding disputes by all honourable means and of composing difficulties when they arise, justly and equitably. There must be efforts to improve the comfort of the workshop and its surroundings to reduce the monotony of work and by all possible means to obviate the fear of unemployment. There ought to be a strong effort by each industry to deal with the question of unemployment within that industry, a difficult but vital task. There must be an attempt at better personal understanding, and chances given to the young to make better use of their education and by means of their brains and energy to have opportunity of service to others and to themselves. There must ba a policy of common interest and if possible of unifying common interest, partly by the touch of human and personal sympathy, partly by the joint interest of mutual gain, with the idea of joint service. It is the spirit, not paper systems, which alone can prevent war and reduce the reasons for industrial "strife.”

ALLIANCE OF LABOUR. By a substantial majority the seamen resolved by ballot taken in February and March to join hands with the Railwaymen, Watersiders, Drivers, Miners, Amalgamated Society of Engineers, Tramwaymen, and Freezing Workers in the Alliance of Lalx»ur, and, their wish has been promptly complied with by the headquarters, therefore, it is to be understood by all that the 'organised seamen are now part and parcel of the Alliance of Labour, as well as part and parcel of the Transport Workers’ Board, which strengthens their organisation to the extent of the organisation of the combined workers. SWEATED INDUSTRIES. -Sir Ixjo Chiozza Money in the Co.-Op. News makes the following interesting comparisons of miners’ wages with some of the sweated industries. It is not surprising that the miners went on strike. In Durham the underground able-bodied adult labourers were asked to accept about one-half of their former wages: Old New ReducWage Wage tion. s. d. s. d. s. d. Shifters ... 66 9 39 0 37 9 Wastemen .. 65 3 37 2 28 1 These men form 25 per cent of the miners and it will be seen that they are offered less than £2 per week, and £2 per week now buys what 16,'6 bought in 1914. Coal hewers in Durham earning £2/8 were offered 59/7, a reduction of over 23/- a week at a blow. The colliers of South Wales were asked to accept 35/8 a week less, reducing them co 53/6. South Wales labourers were offered 39/-, a reduction of 35/- upon their wage of 74/-. LANCASHIRE AND SOMERSET. It should be understood that the rates vary from district to district, and that in some areas such as Nottingham, the proposed reductions, although severe, are not comparable with those mentioned. The number of districts in which the cuts are “staggering” is, however, very great. The colliers of Somerset, for example, are asked to accept a reduction of 20/4, leaving them a wage of 46/8 per week, again a starvation rate. A Lancashire collier (hewer) is cut down by 17/11 a week to 64/-., the equivalent of 24/9 in 1914. In short, it is an army of adult men, up and down the country that is, it is suggested, to be suddenly plunged into extreme poverty—into a position far worse than the indefensible one which existed in 1914. COMPARISON WITH SWEATED TRADES. As is generally known, a Trade Board Act was passed to determine minimum wages for sweated trades. Here is a striking comparison of the Trade Board rates tor certain of the sweated industries with the offers rejected by the British miners;— s. d. Paper bag making (Trade Board) .. 65 0 Forest of Dean miners 43 4 Rope makers (Trade Board) .. .. 56 0 North Wales miners 52 0 Tin box makers (Trade Board) .. 60 0 Bristol miners 55 6 Button makers (Trade Board) .... 60 8 North Stafford mining horsekeepers 48 2 These comparative pairs are of much interest.

Think of one of the lately most sweated industries, paper box making, having a much higher rate than hundreds of thousands of miners! Or consider the last item. We have heard of pity for the pit ponies. Is there to be no pity for the man asked to accept 48/- a week, when the loaf costs a shilling, to take care of the pitied pony?