NEW LABOUR POLICY.

Waikato Times, Volume 99, Issue 16654, 20 November 1925, Page 4

NEW LABOUR POLICY.

American labour has taken the lead in the Labour movement of the world in formulating a new policy to meet the "age of super-power," according to President Wilson Green and other leaders of the American 1’ ederation of Labour, and this point was enunciated in a report of the executive committee of the Federation, and approved by the convention in session at Atlantic City in New Jersey. The report declares in effect that Labour must not be content with fighting for higher wages and resisting wage-cuts, but that it must gain its share of advantage from this era of power development, and the constant substitution of mechanical for manual labour, by working for shorter hours and wages proportionate to the buying power of tiie dollar. “This action places American labour in a most advanced position on wage theories," President Green of the Federation' said, after the measure was adopted. "It may he regarded as the enunciation of a new idea. It is a position far in advance of any position we have taken before. We arc on the threshold of a new era. We are in the infancy of ‘giant power.’ A new condition is here and we must meet it. This is our way of meeting it.” The main points in the policy as adopted are: Declaration that the best interests of all concerned arc served by increasing the quality a? well as the quantity of production through the medium of high wage standards, insuring higher standards of personal efficiency and better environment for the workers. Urges elimination of waste as the means of reducing selling costs of the products of industry —permitting lower prices and higher wages. The concluding paragraph of the measure adopted reads: “Social inequality, industrial instability, and injustice must increase unless the workers’ real wages—the purchasing power of their wages — coupled with a continuing reduction in the number of hours making up the working day, are progressed in proportion to man’s increasing power of production.” This paragraph, according to Labour leaders, contains the key of the new policy. Necessity for the enunciation of such a policy was brought about, leaders explained, by the tremendous development of mechanical substitutes for man power, resulting in increased production with a decrease in the amount, of manual labour used. This would bring a condition of unemployment, low wages, and general distress in labour ranks, according to the Labour leaders, unless labour shared in the benefits which accrue —collected its part of the profits in better wages and shorter hours.