Trades and the Workers

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 547, 27 December 1928, Page 7

Trades and the Workers

By

“ARBITER"

A Seasonal Word Nothing to report” is the bulletin from the Trades Hall this week. The Christmas spirit drove everyone from the building for the short Yuletide spell, and to-day union secretaries will resume for the few days before the New Year break. "Arbiter” uses this opportunity of recording with gratification the assistance that lias been given the compilation of this column from the Trades Hall, where endeavours are always made to have chronicled the movements in Auckland trade union circles, in some directions particularly, secretaries go out of their way to collate items of interest, without in any way seeking for themselves the note of publicity which might be considered justifiable in the circumstances. That Relief Grant Over-anxiety to do the right thing" by the unemployed seems to have upset the calculations of the new Prime Minister. It took him a. long: time to make up his mind whether Auckland should have a grant or a subsidy for the relief ot' the workless, the final decision going in favour of a grant. It was too late to accomplish anything practical for the out-of-work before the Christmas holidays, however, and the men have now to wait until something can be put in hand for their benefit. To imagine that the city could institute special work, as governed by the conditions of Government subsidy, was expecting a little too much, while to fix the wage rate on the 14s-a-day margin, with others working alongside for Us a. day, was optimistic, to say § the least. It is to be sincerely hoped that when the New Year dawns, the outlook of the unemployed will become brighter. It is difficult at the moment to see the silver lining, but if all local bodies throughout the country do their share, and the wool cheques circulate freely, the outback must hold something more than knee-deep swamps and wretched Public Works working conditions. * * * Cost of Compensation The annual report of the Workmen’s Compensation Commission in Australia for the year ended June 30, 1928, discloses that over 61,000 workers received injuries during the 12 months. For the previous 12 months the figure was just over 50,000. During the 1928 year all except 1.45 ot! the claims were settled by agreement. the remainder being determined by the commission at public hearings in various parts of the State. During the preceding year tlie percentage of contested claims was 1.37. The total cost involved in compensating injured workers was approximately £ 2.000.000. including payments made by licensing insurers and authorised seif-insurers. Employers’ Outlook This is the outlook of American business men and employers, who have organised and formulated their general policy of advancement: “As business men. we have neither political favours to bestow nor request. Our primary obligation is to improve the means, condition, and quality of production, and steadily advance the welfare of all those engaged therein” Among other things, the employers consider the question of women in industry. Further investigation upon scientific lines should be undertaken, they say, before legislation be introduced. but they claim that in the light of present conditions, and considering women’s economic needs, protective legislation should be based only

upon individual capacity and the j nature of tli© work rather than upon j * * * Social Improvements Family allowances in Spain have been improved during the past few months. Workers and officials of either sex who have between eight and 18 children are affected, and the allowance ranges on a generous scale ol benefits. Provision is made for free admission of the children of these people to the schools, and they are granted exemption from certain taxes. The decree enforcing the scheme applies to peasants as well as to wageearners. Perhaps, with two new Cabinet Ministers from Auckland, something might be done from this end for the improvement of social conditions here along the same lines. Then, again, it remains to be seen how the new Government will jump on the social question. Mission to Britain Australian industrialists are considering the suggestion to send a joint industrial mission, representing both sides, to Great Britain. Sir Hugo Hirst, one of the members of the British Economic Mission, made the proposal to a Labour conference at Melbourne. Sir Hugo Hirst said he had noticed a lack of clearness in economics in Australia. He came to the conclusion that Australia was too far away from the civilised races engaged in industry, and that she had no chance of sufficiently comparing her efficiency and herself generally with that of other countries. For that reason he suggested that it would be useful if a mission of some of the best men could be sent to England to confer with leaders there on both sides as to what were the impulses and the experiences they had gained by constitutional means, * * * Dockers Go Off About 250 men, including boilermakers, shipwrights, blacksmiths, coppersmiths, sheet-iron workers, joiners, plumbers, painters and dockers, have been dismissed from the Cockatoo dockyard at Melbourne, because of the completion of the construction of tlie aircraft-carrier Albatross. Union officials blame the Federal Government for the dismissals. Mr. T. Falkingham, assistant-secretary of the Boilermakers’ Union, said that it had been proved that the dockyards could be conducted at a profit if the Federal Government did not interfere. On account of trade depression, the prospects of re-employment are not bright. Labour Banks Figures upon the growth of "labour banks” in the United States are given in industrial and Labour Information, the weekly publication of the International Labour Office of the League of Nations at Geneva. There were, it states, 28 labour banks at tiie end of June, according to a statement compiled by the Industrial Relations Section of Princeton University. This form of activity on the part of organised labour was initiated about eight years ago, when, under the leadership of Mr. Warren Stone, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Hngineers established a bank in Cleveland. During this period of eiglrt years a total of 40 banks have been organised, of which 28 remain as distinctly labour banks. Of the 12 which have disappeared two failed, one was liquidated, and the ‘balance were merged or absorbed by other trade union interests. Most of the banks have grown steadily, and many of them have been entirely successful.