THE World of Labour

Sun (Christchurch), Volume II, Issue 510, 28 September 1915, Page 12

THE World of Labour

Conducted by D. G. SULLIVAN

LABOUR METHODS. TRADE-UNIONISM v. POLITICS. I have written a good deal in this -\ regarding the necessity for •increased trade union efficiency, and "have indicated my opinion of the means by which such efficiency might be secured. I have pointed to the very large sum of'money that is "being annually spent in the payment , of amateur part-time secretaries, and - :have suggested that by business-like ' "organisation such money might be ■ saved and devoted to other union I have also urged the nc- • J ccs >ity of appointing and maintain-.-'ing an officer in each centre, whose ''.duty it will be to collect, scicntilieal- "-,' ly analyse, and classify all necessary ' data relating to the"'various indus- - L tries. This officer would, where re- ** quired, conduct cases before the 'Conciliation Council or Arbitration * Court. ,1 have also written in the direction fs of trying to stimulate initiative, en- : terprise, arid self-reliance on the : part of the unions, along the lines *" of co-operative effort. I am glad to / : know that other men in the movement have recently given evidence that they are thinking s along similar lines. My chief reason for urging this increased trade-union efficiency is, I confess, a waning faith in the possibility of realising Labour's ideal by means of political power. We see Labour Governments in control of the Australian States and Commonwealth, but it would be impossible to ■say with real conviction that Labour is any nearer its goal by reason of that fact. It appears as though when vested with power that Labour shrinks from the clangers surroiindr ing the work of attacking the capitalist system which it so freely denounces in its irresponsible days. The " most vigorous Socialist denouncer of Capitalism becomes af-

■flicted with an extreme prudence >'amounting to timidity when relVl ad- •■ ministrative power is placed in his 'hands. It happens everywhere-—in J Europe, America, Australia, New Zealand. As a further illustration, 'take the German Social-Democrats. they form the largest ■ "party in the German Empire, having ; a voting power of over four millions. they contain among ; Hheir; principal men the keenest that ""that Empire has produced. Yet it is positively true- that despite their : great strength they have not' materially affected the social development of Germany, because, as previously ( " explained, it must be borne in mind that the State and municipal social-' ' ism of Germany is not the product of Social-Democracy, but . rather the "* result of imperial checkmate to socialism, assisted by the desire to up a national organisation 'easily available for military pur- : "poses.. When the great war came the , politically organised Labourites and 'Socialists of Europe were quite t-'powerless to stop the conflagration.

An Unfavourable Conclusion. The conclusion is forced upon us political power, despite the endifficulty that there is in '; attaining it, will never accomplish ' for Labour the' great tilings we have hoped from it. I,do not wish to be ''• misunderstood. I am far from suggesting - that the political fight ■ * should be given up, or even weaken- ' ed. There is much to be gained, '.very much, by representation in Parliament and on local bodies, but v what I am urging is a proper undcr--1 'standing of just how much it is pos••'sihle to secure by this method or

that, and my own-conviction is while continuing to strengthen ' our representation on all law-making * institutions, including Parliament, %c should look to the trade unions } as the chief instrument whereby 'Hhc ultimate transition shall be 'brought about from individual to collective ownership of industry. do I believe Jt is necessary ,to proceed by means of rcvolu:tioflary syndicalism. I believe that by pursuing the ideal of business efficiency that the unions will so strengthen and develop their business capacity as to ultimately open the way for a business transaction that without doing injustice to anyone will put an end to the private exploitation of Labour and realise the ideal of all who are seeking final justice for the working class. One of the first necessities of the move- * ment, is the development of a race of union leaders, animated by this ' ideal of efficiency, and who will be content to confine their energies to ' its accomplishment. Mr J. C. Watson on the Outlook. Mr J. G. Watson, ex-Labour Prime S} Minister of Australia, who recently 1 returned from a trip to Great Britain :!k and America, thus expresses himself K on the industrial outlook in those ■-'••-countries: "There is little or no unemployment in Great Britain so far as the n ftien are concerned," he said. "The demand for munitions of

A Column for Workers

I war has drawn into service those who would have been out of work owing to the stagnation of industry > and of course enormous numbers have enlisted. "But the working women are in a serious position. The industries in which women have been employed have been thrown out of gear. Everyone is economising, social functions have been cut out, dressmakers' establishments haVe been closed, and in many other directions the services of women have been dispensed with. "Some have been put on to the lighter side of munition manufacture, while a small proportion arc engaged as letter carriers, and on similar duties. But most of this is more in the nature of relief work than" anything else. There is a considerable amount of distress among women. Coal Miners' Strike. "The coalminers came in for considerable criticism for going on strike, but it was admitted that the men had substantial grievances, and a settlement of them was unduly delayed. They had nothing to compensate them for the great rise in the cost of living, though increases had been secured in many other industries. "Added to this there is no doubt that until curbed by Government action comparatively recently, the coal owners had forced the price of coal up to an unconscionable price. With our climate here we can scarcely realise what distress this'meant last winter to families who could not afford to pay high prices for coal.

"J do not think there-will be a surplus of male labour after the war —there have been such heavy losses in battle. There will be some trouble unless the army is slowly disbanded, and it will take some time, for a readjustment of the men. But I don't anticipate serious distress. "One result may be that there will be few men available for emigration. The only likelihood of Australia or Canada receiving immigrants is that men who have been in the army will have a distaste for the confinement of the office or factory. Labour in America.

"As to America, one is not hopeful. Anything lijke class-conscious action by working men on a big scale is a. long distance off. The two big political parties practically draw the teeth of democracy by the system of spoils to the victors. Unless a man of more than the average capacity is a supporter either of the Democratic or the Republican party he has little chance of preferment to employment, and if he joins any other than the dominant parties he is almost completely deprived of any opportunity at all. "Postmasters are changed with every administration, and the same thing applies to many other branches of the civil service, They did put a portion of the service on a permanent footing some time ago, finding the continuous change of public officers a great nuisance, but the old system is still rampant. "The present Democratic administration, under President Wilson, certainly seems more favourable to Labour than its predecessors, but so far as the party is concerned, this favour is only a means to an end. Both parties adopt the same methods to secure the Labour vote, and some of the Labour organisations are so tied up with these parties that they have eveiv been induced to oppose trade union laws that have been passed by the party they oppose.

The Power of the Purse. "The present administration passed what is\ known as the Clayton Bill—named after the man who introduced it—which gives unions the right to picket, during strikes and relieves trade unions from some of the restrictions of the anti-trust Acts. But this Act has to run the gauntlet of the law courts. The big interests arc out to fight it and are using it as a good argument to rally the moneyed classes to put Wilson out." Mr Watson agrees that America is a country full of examples, not to follow, but to avoid. The splendid illustration of the benefits of State action shown during the construction of the Panama Canal has been practically lost on the union organisations of America, who are too tied up with the Republican or Democratic parties to take much notice of such matters, and those who do see the truth are greatly hampered by the continual influx of largo numbers of European'labourers of mixed languages, all eager to make us much as they can to settle down in the new country or to return to their own for their eld ageClearly, Australian workers have little to gain but warnings from America. .