The Wanganui Herald. [PUBLISHED DAILY.] THURSDAY, OCTOBER 18,1906. LABOUR ABROAD.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XXXX, Issue 12000, 18 October 1906, Page 4

The Wanganui Herald. [PUBLISHED DAILY.] THURSDAY, OCTOBER 18,1906. LABOUR ABROAD.

m A mass of valuable information relative to the condition, of labour abroad is contained in the third abstract of foreign labour statistics issued by the Labour Department of the Board of Trade of the Old Country. By far the most interesting and important section of the abstract is that which deals with the growth and working of the principle of arbitration in labour disputes abroad. The institution by statute of public methods of conciliation and arbitration for the settlement of industrial differences is of comparatively recent date, and the methods are necessarily tentative and experimental. The voluntary boards of conciliation and arbitration, which play so large a part in the settlement of industrial disputes in the United Kingdom, hardly exist in foreign countries. Taking each country separately and comparing the first year, to which the returns related, with the latest statistics, we get the following results: — Germany: 1893, number of courts 154, applications 5, settlements 3; 1905, number of courts 411, applications 165, settlements 142. Holland: 1899, chambers of labour 30, interventions 3, settlements 3; 1904, chambers of labour 90, interventions 13, settlements 5. The returns from Belgium are somewhat meagre, but they show that in 1896, four strikes affecting 418 workmen were settled by the intervention of Councils of Industry and Labour. In 1900 one strike, in which 100 workmen were involved, was settled by the same body. On December 31, 1900, there were 75 Councils of Industry and Labour in Belgium. Italy: 1896, number of courts 6, interventions nil, settlements nil; 18.99, number of courts 39, interventions 11, settlements 10. In 1903 there were three unsuccessful interventions. The returns as regards France are rather complicated, but they show that while in 1893 the Conciliation and Arbitration Act of 1892 was put into operation seven times before the commence-

ment of a strike, in 1905 the Act was invoked on 16 occasions. Out of 86 cases in 13 years in which the Act was put into operation, before the beginning of a strike, a stoppage of work was averted in 37 cases. In 1893, 55 conciliation committees were formed, aud 33 of these settled disputes. In 1903 the number of committees had risen to 171, and disputes were settled by 104 of them. In a few cases several committees were at work in relation to the same dispute, bo that the number of committees which effected settlements does not necessarily coincide with the number of disputes. No return is given of the number of disputes, or of the actual number of- settlements. The most elaborate returns come from America. The States of Massachuaettß. Ohio, Missouri, Wisconsin, Indiana, Illinois, are dealt with. In Ohio, in 18S3, the Board of Conciliation took action in six caees, and effected three successful settlements. In 1896 action was taken in 20 cases, and a successful settlement effected in seven instances. In Missouri between May and November, 1901, there were eight cases of intervention and four of them were attended by a successful result. In Wisconsin, in 1896, two successes attended three interventions, and between July, 1903, and June, 1904, there were Bix interventions, of which two failed. The Indiana Labour Commission intervened in 23 instances during the year ended October 31, 1898, and of these 18 were successful. In 1904 only two interventions were required, and one succeeded. Illinois had six cases of intervention in the year ended March 1, 1897, and in five instances success attended the efforts of the Board of Arbitration. In the 12 months ended July, 1902, out of 26 interventions 16 were successful. The information summarised under the section devoted to trade unions indicates that in countries of progressive industrial development trade unionism makes steady. and in some cases rapid, growth. For instance, during the years 1899 to 1904 the Social Democratic Societies (Gewerkechaften) of Germany nearly doubled their membership, and they now embrace mort than two-thirds of the organised workere of the country. The Christian Societies have made almost equal relative progress, and the Hirsch-Duneker Societies (Gewerkvereine), though of less importance numerically, continue to hold their own. In France, too, there has been rapid growth, both in the number of societies and in their membership. On the other hand, in Denmark" there appears to have been a noticeable dimunition both of societies and members since 1900. The detailed tables indicate that certain trades axe more strongly organised than others and that the tendency to combine is, as would be expected, strongest in the case of skilled labour. The largest trade societies in Germany are those of the building trades, which number a quarter of all the members of the social democratic group of unions, and it is noticeable that it is these trades which have succeeded most in concluding collective wages agreements during recent years. The metal trades come second with a membership nearly equal to that of the building trades. In France by far the largest unions are those of the transport trades, while the unions in the mining, metal, and textile trades are next in point of membership. The building trades, however, have the largest number of organisations. In Australia the metal trades take the lead, and the building and transport trades follow. Italy is an exception, for there just one-half of the organised workers are connected with agriculture, the transport trades following with one-seventh, and the metal workers with one-tcntli.