THE World of Labour

Sun (Christchurch), Volume III, Issue 788, 19 August 1916, Page 12

THE World of Labour

TRADES AND LABOUR COUNCIL HALL. MEETINGS FOR THE WEEK. SATURDAY- -Trades Council and Executive Committee; Typographical Board Meeting; Fricmlly Societies' Card Association. SUNDAY—Christadelphiaiis' Mission, 11 a.m.; Public Lectures in Social Hall. ;i and 7 p.m. MONDAY—Amalgamated Society of Engineers, No. 1 Branch; Painters' Union. TUESDAY—Grocers' Assistants' Committee. WEDNESDAY Canterbury Carpenters' Union; Bootmakers' Union; Brickmakers and Clay Workers' Union; Public Lecture in Social Hall, 8 p.m. • THURSDAY—Dancing Class in Social Hall, •* 8 p.m. FRlDAY—General Labourers' Finance Committee, 7 to 8.30 p.m.; Canterbury Drivers' Union. NARROW VIEWS. AUCKLAND EMPLOYERS' ASSOCIATION. The Auckland Employers' AssociaSion has just held its annual meeting, Mid the principal subject of discussion, both in the report and the speeches, was the relationship between Capital and in war time. If, Throughout the addresses there is icibviously a conflict in the minds of the ' speakers between the old bitter prejudice against the organised labour movement, and something of a desire to do justice to the class that has done so much for the country during the war. The workers are praised for having responded in such large numbers to the call of Empire, but are soundly rated for their efforts to secure increased wages, and are warned that it is their duty to do a great deal more work in ' the future than they have done in the past, and must attain to a higher standard of efficiency, in order that by increased production New Zealand may be able to meet its share of the war bill. 1 The presence of anti-militarists in the i Labour ranks is also criticised. So, briefly put, the burden of the employers' song at the annual meeting of their Auckland association was a plea for stationary wages, more work, greater efficiency, with a "pat on the back" thrown in for their having heen good boys and gone to the war in considerable numbers. Shibboleths. The workers' spokesmen arc often

A Column for Workers

= Conducted by D. G. SULUVAN Lsrs

ficcu.sed of being narrow-minded, anil of dealing in shibboleths and unrealities. [f there is any truth in this statement regarding Labour, it is certainly true of the average employers' association meeting, and the Auckland Association lias sinned heavily in this respect. Take the plea for more work and greater efficiency. A short while ago Mr E. Stark, Christchureh city electrical engineer, made a statement reflecting on the industrial character of some of the workers, and, with a view to ascertaining the real facts, The Sun conducted an inquiry among representative employers and workers. Some of those consulted in that inquiry were the keenest men among the employers of this country, and in one or two instances employed very large numbers of workers. A Unanimous Opinion. The unanimous opinion of all these people was that, man for man, the New Zealand workers were the equal in speed and efficiency of the workers of any country that might be selected for comparison, including America. It is apparently quite true that the American output per man is greater than the New Zealand output per man, but such representative employers as Mr Frostick, Mr J. B. Laurenson, and others, expressed the opinion emphatically during that inquiry that this was not due to any inferiority on the part of the New Zealand worker; and further, that if the New Zealand worker had the same opportunities—the same machinery, factory organisation, and extent of market for the product of his labour —that his output would be at least equal to that of his American co-_worker, usually quoted as setting the "highest standard of efficiency. This opinion is borne out in statements made to me bysuch capable and fair-minded representatives of the workers as Mr Barlow, of the Furniture Trades Union, and one or two others, whose names I could supply, who have worked in the United States. My own opinion is that this demand for more work and greater efficiency from the workers is merely a pose: that the employers' associations know that the workers of this country are equal to the workers of any other country, but continue repeating the exploded shibboleth because it is natural for them to have a grievance against the workers, and if a real one is not available, an unreal one must take its

place. What; other conclusion can 1 arrive at? Question of Wages. Then again the question of wages. If, owing to increased prices, real wages fall, isn't it over the odds for the employers to expect the workers to accept the position, and not try to retrieve the situation by seeking an increase in 1 wages that will compensate them for such increased prices? Docs not the employer, whenever he can possibly do so, seek to compensate himself for increased expenditure by passing it on to his customer? As a public man I have on many occasions had to deliberate upon applications from business men here and abroad for an increase upon the price at which they had contracted to supply goods and services, and incidentally I may mention that such applications always seem to commend themselves as fair and reasonable to the business men who sit upon public bodies. The workers cannot be expected to submit without a fight for the lowering of their standard of comfort, nor will they do so. Avoiding the Real Problem. In talking the way they do, the Employers' Association avoid the real problem, and adopt a course that actually generates the class bitterness which they affect to condemn. They surely have sufficient knowledge of human nature to know that bitterness begets bitterness, and that accusations of the kind arc bound to be met with counter accusations. The real problem is not the alleged inefficiency of the workers, or their just desire to secure and maintain reasonable remuneration and conditions of life, but rather the inefficiency of our industrial organisation. Organisation is our prime need, and New Zealand will never be able to produce cheaply and efficiently until the multitude of tin-pot industrial plants arc replaced by a few large, up-to-date, well equipped establishments. The Employers' Association would be better employed in trying to effect this, in co-operation with the Government, than in criticising the workers, and making unfair demands upon them. Patriotism of the Workers. Following are some extracts from the report and speeches given at the Employers' Association meeting:—Mr E. A. Craig, retiring president of the Auckland Provincial Employers' Association, commenting on the response to the call of the country, said he was glad to be able to pay a tribute to the unselfishness of the great body of workers in New Zealand, who had helped so considerably to swell the ranks of contingents. It had. proved that Labour had not ouly been as keenly loyal as any section of the community, but that it had been able to study and appreciate the causes leading to the conflict, the issues at stake, and the justice of Britain's entry into the war. For all that, he was sorry to note the presence of the irresponsible agitator, for the most part a crank who had no authority but that of his imagination to speak for Labour, though that fact did not prevent his being capable of doing considerable mischief amongst ignorant sections of the community.

Comparison With America. The speaker declared that for many years labour conditions had been more greatly improved perhaps in New Zealand than in any other country. Hours had been reduced to a minimum, wages increase! almost to a maximum, and emp'oycrs had loyally abided, often to their cost, by awards, which were not infrequently treated as mere steppingstones to further gains by labour organisations, lie asked if, looking back, it could be honestly said that those improved conditions had led to increased efficiency on the workers' part, <to any speeding up or to any desire to show that the worker looked upon his employers' business as his own business, and not merely as a disagreeable, it' necessary, accompaniment to the regular receipt of his wages. Employers had no personal feeling in the matter, and all recognised that the great bulk of the workers were honest and willing, but that was not quite the point. Did they do as much as they could, or as much as their employers had a right to expect? Owing to better organisation, more training, and greater speed at working, the output of the skilled workers in the United States was greater by 50 per cent, (reckoned by the hour) than the standard average in England or New Zealand and Australia. The worker could always remember that, apart from the question of his moral duty to the State, he was advancing his own interests by attaining to efficiency and speed in his work, for, assuredly, employers could have noth ing but good wishes and sympathy for those who, making a pleasure of their work, sought to attain in it the same proficiency, to attain which in play they so willingly made sacrifices. Twelve Months Increases. Mr W. J. Jaggs asserted that the ceaseless round of raising wages as each award expired had not materially improved the workers' position. He did not think that Labour realised that wages were paid out of what it produced, and that the smaller the output the less there was for Labour. During the past 12 months, increases in wages totalling over £500,000 had been either awarded by the Court or conceded by employers, including the Government. The principal increases were: To railwaymen, £200,000; wharf labourers, £120,000; coal miners, £47,000; sawmills, etc., £35,000; freezing works, £30,000; furniture trades, £18,000; flaxmills, £14,000; woollen mills, £.18,000; clothing trades, £12,000; .saddlery trade, £0000; unskilled trades, about'£so,ooo. The result meant that the cost of living must be considerably increased, and the general public must pay, or employers would be pushed near the brink of bankruptcy. If there was to be a future for manufacturing enterprise in New Zealand it was necessary that a halt should be called before the inevitable smash came.