THE World of Labour

Sun (Christchurch), Volume II, Issue 617, 1 February 1916, Page 12

THE World of Labour

A Column for Workers

JUSTICE DENIED. AMERICAN WORKERS AND AMERICAN LAW. Denial of justice by Ihe Law j Courts to Ihc workers, particularly in cases of industrial dispute is re- j guided by the United States Walsli i Commission on Industrial Relations as being one of the principal causes I of industrial unrest. First, with regard lo the enactment of laws, it is charged that the workers have been unable lo secure legislation lo protect them against grievous wrongs, except after exhausting struggles against overwhelming odds and against insidious influences. - Courts Regularly Unfair. Second, it is charged that after wholesome'and necessary laws are passed, they are in large part nullified by the courts upon technicalities of a character which would not be held to invalidate legislation fav-j ourable to the interest of manufacturers, merchants, bankers, and other properly owners, or thrown out on the broad ground of unconslitutionality through strained or il-; logical construction of constitution provisions. Judges are Biased. Third, that in the administration of law, both common and statute, there is discrimination by the courts against the poor and in favour of the wealthy and powerful, and thai this discrimination arises not only from the economic disabilities of the poor, but also out of the actual bias on the part of the judges in favour of the wealthy and influential. Perverted the Constitution. Fourth, that courts have not only j neglected or refused to protect j workers in the rights guaranteed.. by j the Constitution of the United States. and of the several Stales, but that sections of the Constitution framed primarily lo protect human rights have been perverted to protect property rights" only, and to deprive workers of the protection of lights secured lo them by statutes. Fifth, that the ordinary legal machinery provides no adequate means •whereby labourers and other poor men can secure redress for wrongs inflicted upon them through the nonpayment of wages, through overcharges at company stores, through exorbitant hospital and other fees, fines, and deductions., through fraud j on the part of private, employment Offices, loan offices, and instalment houses, and through the ''grafting" of foremen and superintendents. The losses to wage-earners from these sources are staled to amount each year lo millions of dollars, and to work untold hardship on a class of men who can ill afford to lose even a penny of their hard-won earnings. Upset Trial by Jury. Sixth, thai the courts, by the unwarranted extension of their powers in the issuance of injunctions, have not only grievously injured the workers individually and collectively, upon innumerable occasions, bul have also, by the contempt procedure consequent upon disobedience to such injunctions, deprived the workers of the right, fundamental lo Anglo-Saxon institutions, to be tried by jury. Seventh, thai laws designed for the protection of labour in workshops, mines, and on railroads, are not effectively enforced, except in a few States. Fighth, that in cases involving industrial questions, Ihc workers are liable to great injustice, by reason of the fact thai in many localities they are excluded from juries, either by the qualifications prescribed (usually payment of property tax) or by the method of selection. Brutality of Officers. Ninth, thai during strikes, innocent men arc in many cases arrested without jirsl cause, charged with fictitious crimes, held under excessive bail, and treated frequently with unexampled brutality for the purpose of injuring the strikers and breaking the strike. Tenth, thai in many localities during strikes mil only is one of the greatest functions of Ihc Stale, that of policing, turned virtually over to employers or arrogantly assumed by them, bid criminals employed by detective agencies and sir ike-breaking agencies are clothed by the process of depulisalion with arbitrary power and relieved of criminal liability for their acts. Eleventh, thai during strikes in many localities the entire system of civil government is suspended, and there is set up in its place a military despotism under so-called marial law. Twelfth, thai in some localities the control by the employers of the entire machinery of government is so great that lawless acts on the part of egents of the employers go unheeded and unpunished, while vindictive action against the leaders of the strike is accomplished by methods unparalleled in civilised fount ries.

Conducted by D. G. SULLIVAN

The report says regarding remc-j dies:— "In considering the action which i needs to be taken it has been urged I by some that the end to be achieved is lo place personal rights on a par- j ity with property rights. It is nee- j essary to render a firm protest and I warning against the acceptance of such an ideal. The establishment of property rights and personal rights on the same level can leave only a constant and evergrowing menace to our popular institutions. With the acceptance of such an ideal j our democracy is doomed to ultimate destruction. Personal rights! niusl be recognised as supreme and of unalterable ascendancy over property rights. "Belief from these grave evils cannot be secured by petty reforms. The action must be drastic and directed at the roots from which these evils spring. German Price Bureaux. The "I'.eichsanzeiger," a German j Government journal under dale September 27, publishes the text of a decree of Ihe Federal Council, dated September 25 (republished in the New Zealand Government journal of the Department of Labour, January, 1916), under which provision is made for the creation by local authorities of a network of Price Supervision Bureaux throughout Germany. Fach bureau will consist of a president and of members representing equally (a) producers, wholesale and retail traders, (b) experts not personally interested in trade and ordinary consumers. The functions of the bureau arc stated to be (I) to establish from their knowledge of market conditions what prices are justifiable and proper for their several districts, taking as the basis for calculating such prices the cost of production of each article; (2) to assist the competent authorities in the supervision of the trade in necessaries and in the prosecution of persons charging extortionate prices for necessaries; (3) to furnish opinions for the assistance of courts of justice and administrative officials as lo the fairness of particular prices; (4) to assist the competent authorities in explaining to the public the formation of prices and their causes, and (5) to require retail traders to exhibit detailed catalogues of the goods sold by them with the prices at which they are to be sold. When this last step is taken traders may not refuse to sell for cash at the prices slated and if these prices themselves arc excessive, they will furnish ground for a prosecution for extortion. In order to discharge these duties, the bureaux are given the widest powers of inspection of premises, slocks, hooks, invoices, and of taking evidence compulsorily and on oath. A Central Price Supervision Bureau for the German Empire is created al Berlin, the duty of which will be to collate and render accessible information as to prices and to advise the Imperial Chancellor. One cannot help wishing that a similar endeavour lo protect the people against economic exploitation has not been tried in our own Empire. Evil Effect of Overtime. "Fatigue means a vast economic loss to the country," declared Professor J. 11. Muirhead, at the meeting of the British Association, in dealing with the subject of the efficient management and organisation of factory and office. Professor Muirhead was submitting the report of a committee which has been considering Ihe subject, and emphasis was laid upon the necessity of taking into account "the human element, just as much as the material and the machine." "it is a timely warning," said the Bight Hon. Alexander Carlisle, for many years one of the directors of the famous shipbuilding and engineering firm of llarland and Wolff, in conversation with a representative of the "Daily Telegraph" recently. "When I started work in 1870 the hours were 60 per week. A fewyears later they were reduced to 54, My opinion was, and is, that no man is capable of working efficiently for more than ."if hours a week. "I had practical experience and I proof during the 40 years with ' which I was connected with shipbuilding and engineering, thai continuous overtime, instead of increasing, actually decreased output. This was true even where Ihe greater part of the work was done by machinery. A workman may work overtime for I perhaps a week or a fortnight conIseculively, but alter thai he loses • time in the morning for whal he may I put in late. Moreover, il is only natural thai Ihe workman should 'lake advantage of the opportunity of pulling in overtime chiefly for Ihc sake of Ihe extra money, and I hat does not make for the best workmanship. "An Absolute Loss." "There is a lot of overtime going on at the present time in many directions which I look upon as an absolute loss. I never allowed overtime for more than a week, or al most a fortnight. From personal cxperi-

ence and knowledge, I know il i$ impossible for a man to keep up the strain. In the heavy trades of riveting, caulking, chipping, etc., I found thai men on piecework were generally done up in three or four hours' work, and had to employ the remainder of the time in sharpening tools or in other ways. "I feel certain that Hie Shipwrights' and Boilermakers' Society would confirm what I say as regards their particular trades. When piecework was introduced into Ireland, the important question of riveting was fully considered, and the maximum amount a worker could do efficiently agreed upon. In many cases a squad of riveters would have finished their day's work before they sal down lo breakfast. 'People without practical knowle !ge probably think that manual work of this kind can be continued almost any length of lime. It is a great mistake. The British Association have done well in drawing attention lo the importance of arranging rest-pauses, as well as of organising increased output."