IS THERE DECADENCE OF WORK?

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 911, 2 September 1910, Page 2

IS THERE DECADENCE OF WORK?

■ ; — f ..' v- — '. ■'■■■'. 1 THE AFFIRMATIVE, COST OF INEFFICIENT LABOUR. . - [To, tho'.Editor.] . Sir,—llaving been so long and intimately 'lconnected with the 'employment of labour, labour laws and awards, when in New. Zealand, I naturally continue to read the reports in the newspapers and .the published reports relating to these, which 1 regularly .receive. It is, .therefore, with great regret that I notice that no real conciliation" has yet been effected between the true interest of labour..and the employers. l ''''■.'.:'.'■' .* . It is now some, years since I-poiuted out the., dangers which' existed; arid would ensue if the attitude of dictatorial selfishness and interference with'the managements and methods.were persisted in; industries to bo successful and to attract capital'.must be free :to .decide ou\ the best methods: of'management to obtain the.',best results. The late Premier, who was , also Minister for labour, cautioned the workers that they were going too far in that-direction.'. That it would-be impossible to. develop"'the. industries of .the colony and provide .for: the further employment of labour if employers were hampered in the eniploymeiit of/ capital. It Was : further, pointed . out""', that'.'-.there ■ was comparatively, no. increase-in'.the i)i-. xlustries, and that labour., was --qnlysin-■ creasirigly. employed iu. work. which was strictly of a home character, , , and which' 'Could-not possibly be,done elsewhere.",. The.oracial returns show that.New isea.land 'industries are not ■ progresain'g" ; in proportion either to , the 'population or capital. The country is developing from its magnificent natural resources-of ■ the .land,;but there , is an entire-lack of /evidence, that there is a similar, development' of industries to utilise thn capital available in the employment of profitable lab : our. ;.This is : not -likely to.take placa until ,th'e trade unionist and Labour leaiU ers a'dopta broader platform and -wider, outlook. Capital--wjll oiily bo. available, for industries where, there is security, and profitable investment. .'- It.-, is. for .the worker to.;show that labour is available of an efEcient,,steady,,and reliable/character, keen to ctf-operate with capital. 7 * The'mistake in pur NewiZealand labour legislation arid in the'application' and interpretation .pi' the jaws is /that they ; aro framed'and'carried out froiu the point of : view and attitude of the. British trade, unionists,: rather than- on "the - ideas -and airne of tliu Americau , trade ! umphists: The British trade unionist works on'.the idea, that there is-a common.wage fund, or a total of. so rnuch. money for, division amongst .the. workers; .that, to '.get the most out of this.the best thing to do is. to, limit the:,iudividuar,butput;:of.'each', worker. The. 'American -.worker;".on the other hand,''demands■ high.wages, but he has;the:common sense to 'recognise 'that higher wages can only be paid by higher efficiency- in quantity and: quality; British methods- only'eiist'.'because the industries are -developed and : established, arid, behind,;them is.a large amount: of capital. No one conttiids' that these have -been,.successful.' in' raising .the.'pbsitiqn or ■ prospects of t':e majority.'."of: the' workers. ■'' .■' ..-. '; ; . , ' ' : .-:::' ■'■:":' -~ ''J '■.'■;-':' In New Zealand..there are innuiherable fields for industrial: development. [It is surely madness oil the'part'of the worker to continue a policy-of negation, arid.to; think that industries": , will be established except by enlerprise on the. part of .the' employer, backed -up by. the hearty support and .co-operation' of labour.- .Uy all means, let the ••worker get all- the wages .which he can.ear.nj.arid earn~as uiuchas he can,..but if '-successful-in'dusfries-'.are' to be e.stablishe'diit will, not! bo by following .the advicij:of i-thel'iLegisiative, ■Councillor.who advised,the:New.Zealand worker thafliis duty- was to/get as miich' wages' ai possible tor as-little work as :pbssible;' ; ,' !V:,,':' f '..■•■..■ ..■;::•;■';;;'

'••■•It; is .therefore not. surprising, that, so: . many reports are 'reaching..'us here: that industries are,not ; being.fleyeloped. • Capi,,ta,l ivill§iot be" labour is, a large element';■'■"lmports are increasing at a greater .ratio.' Industries are not being ,e,stablislj«l, and those that, are have, ,a iirecarious, and. not too; profitablo 'existence. It is not so much'-that the. rate ■■pf-,..\fages is high, but v.frpm ; the r '..trade, union .spirit tjia .work;becomes indifferent .aßiliinefiicieiit.'-It is this sign. of ;incf-, h'ciency.!which is.jniost dangerous to'.the; The slackness; in- ;\fqrjj'j and the inefficient 'mariner in'whict one; of the .best, industries as "drifting 'forces} me to ask you.to/cull attention' to .il. ; .; i.; : During ■the; ! mariy;;years"in';which:'rwasj 'connected;;with -the freezing industry the' "slaughtermen, were ; asfirit" aset ot men as any in 'the country. ■; They' were keen;' intelligent;; active,■',,rihil .They took-great-pride, in their work-and'rival-led with, .one' another,'; .not-ijnly ■ in.;- the amount of work .they."could do, but more , particularly,; in turning : outt' every carr cass in the'yery best 'style of dressing. . They'!eai'iieil big cheau.es—the bigger .the; better I wa4 pleased—for' I-:'- noticed ; tho. big cheques earned by. who did the bestiwork. Another point was that; -they were always willing, on tHeilo\vn initiative; to teach and.'.encourage the "boys" to?-.liearn- 'slaughtering. "This."was: done in -no; grudging or .selfish 'spirit, /.but-. in;the old colonial vray'.'df helping , everyone, especially .the "y6ung.fellows""to.gDt 0n.." ':''/.- •' ■'■.■' '. " ";;, . ..■■'":■■." '.- . The result pf.this 'classi.of■ work: brought. New;Zealandriiito' the first place in.-the, frozen nieftt'trade. Wli.en I visited London" formerly New Zealand meat 6tood put. prominently well ahead of Australian and Hiver.;Plato .for. dressing and appearance. I; asked ;if..any improvements could • be suggested,'b'«t always' got;''the;'.answer men arb' doing their work well, and it is "accredit to thorn:-Drill to tho trade - .". During the last two years there is. a marke'd change/ In passing through the Smithfield Markets :it .i's a ; very -frequent .occurreuce'.for a salesman; to'.complain .of the;bad and .careless slaughter-; ing and the poor dressing of our' ; : moat. You '-cannot, distiilgijisli Neiv ..Zealand' nieat- to-day .by its superior.:dressing;; it has fallen to" tne'level of Australia, 'rho Kiver Plate;.meat;,.pri the other hand, las improved,, land the better ap'peararicfe, slaughtering, dressing, arid, limsh-is-rin '.such . markcil; cciiittu.it to; otirs. as- 1 to bu apparent to overyonts. This tact, has biieu ..commented on by most .of the New -idea-, 'landers;' wiio ; visit the -market.. ■ Wlieu 'asked what is the reason .of the difference, those 'w"ho'are connected 'with freezing works say, that it is ;the result of the "award.". !,■ :,/ ' ' | ~ . ' - . . ~"'.' Only lately..-1 wass' discussing this diffei-' ence with one of the largest operators in connection with the ■'•■South . American trade. He:gives it. as his: well-considered opinion that New Zeaian'd - was . losing more than'one farthing per pound!on its meat from careless' and , faulty dressing,' compared, with the. Uiver.l'uiic, .with na improved methods.' The •aifferencp is' so : marked .'and : prominent-'that I believe his statement, is underestimated. New:2ea. land.has gone back by;adopting British tra'do union "methods.'• The Kiver. Plate has gone up because -American methods..-. ''-.'■ :■ . Now, what does this farthing per pound amount to which we are losing by inefficiency i , IS T «w : Zealand exported last year —li)0ll-269,773,6S91b'. of frozen meat; The loss, of one "farthing per '!pound, which some may.think riot very much, amounts to ,£281,014 per annum. Is this not too big a price to pay for an;award of the Arbitration Court, if it leads to ineffi-' dent work?. I am too: proud: of New. Zealand and its : workmen to believo : that they will let such conditions , continue. We'have the best country, the best'pro-.ducts,.-surely the workmen" will give us tho best work. ~ ■ . ~. . ■ ' . ':'. 1,, give' this example of .what I know : others have given on their. reports ' of similar .conditions • in'■ other industries. . No one can -accuse me-of opposing legislation tor the true benefit ol iabour, or for batter and .fair. trwtui'ent.■' I'hope that ■ consideration will )>c given to the'widerissues, and that labour,'while asking for fair wages,, will guarantee efficient ..work; At any rate, let them consider what is being lost, us tho worker, can only share in whnt is saved or made. . The loss by inefficiency may bo more than, the total wages paid.— Tarn, etc., : , ,'■.■■: GILDEItT ANDIiIiSON. London, July 22. ;

THE NEGATIVE.

.-•.: 'i. MR. TKEGEAft. IN REPLY. [To the : .Sir,—A fei\' days ago I was. interviewed by representatives of ; our daily papers in order tn get.-my opinion on the subject of the decadence of ■work* in-the Dominion. It-had been allied, in utterances of

more or less value, that there ' was .a ■' falling off, a wilful and' deliberate dete- ' rionttion, in the quality of the work done of late years. It was' impossible to give : any decided answer to so vague ';aiid ; general air accusation. If such a thing ' was the fact- ; among ironworkers it did. not follow that carpenters 'or dressmakers ; should bo falsely accused, nor vice versa. [ ..There appeared, however, at. the ■ same ' time as my denial that I knew of any such decadence, a- letter from a llr. Gil- - : bert Anderson (published above), in which he, departed from the usual shelter of .shadowy assertion,. and made- a distinct statement that in' the frozen meat trade there -had been such a-directly apparent deterioration in the slaughtering-and dressing and finish of meat exported from New Zealand during the last two years that, 'it .alone'..had , caused a fall of more, than one farthing a poiind. in the Home markets, and a capital loss of c 2281,014. I urn glad he was financially particular as. to that a>l4, as we , may rejoico that it was not ~£U Is. ; .. , : ; Now at last, then, we: have something . tangible, something less misty and phan- ! tasmal tl)an the old refuge: of .impartial minds.. Distrusting my own experience ', and knowing that in the'simplicity of commercial life, the statements inia'deby ;■ One business man', are sometimes not always accepted at their face-value by "other business; men, J ..sent ijut' through New Zealand to the managers of meat export-, ing companies to know if: in their. judg-; ; ment there was any truth in the remarks made by Mr. Gilbert' Anderson. ■ •: With hardly: a. solitary exception the. replyus:, "No; untrue."..Weihngton, Canterbury, ■ ? Picton,; '■■ Gisborae, ••;■ 'Hawlce's . Bay, ;;Waitara;;.and : Southland' all distinctly: state-that-"there has been no falling-off in quality of. the.: slaughtering and dressing - of. exported' meat.: Some. others and vreplies to the same effect, 'but do not wish their re- : .plies'published—why, I do, not as "j .their goods are first-class in-quality. ...flaey.need-not blush.to say..so."One adds tliat there has been extra/care in dressing .'during; the/; last year, or so;; another'■ says that perhaps the;meat is not so well' dressed as. . formerly,'- ; but V "that .'the : Slaughtermen kill, inore sheep, .so perhaps, they handle them hastily, Wanganui sayii that, since che.award the meat has been better dressed, ,as the., , managers caa : . limit tKe.number of';• carcasseshandled; Wellington;' also'-speaks/Well of the in .the : ward. "giving •'•'•'the.'.'Management power, to dismiss ;ior ■ carelessness" or: damage, arid :also' rh>- right of ■"restrict-; ing the/tally, so that, the men. do their worfc. : better: than formerly.. .'•""•.■.;.■■; ! -: v ; -:< -'' . One : Wellington inanageT,'•'-. speaking of; ;tKe.'.gddd"'ap'peaWnM^6f.'rA^enfineT&ee'pif : says that much has. to do ,with; the cfc; mate;: or reason-'tou»hening:'_the pelt. s* , . that'.'the sheep .•"peel".' better." :He added! that to ,eaj-','tbat there .had been deteriora-/ tidn to the extent of a'farthing, a pound, was "absolutely-absurd.". ;.■» ;■..,■;.- ■■;. i.'P •'.'■ ';■ You will'.probably., soon.■hear'.vrhat ;the: men have to say;-you now have thestatements .. of;' tlva': employers,-' : and can-' get ■sonie idea of, the yalue' ; to"be • giveii to this first direct charge against the :wofk-■ers.v'.iEven,.if>it:-was proven;in slaughtermen, whose occupation .is an! in-' tsrmittent ; :bne, and often. re-enforced ._by visitors from'.other colonies,'; it;., y\buld prove little idn.-.regard td-.the realt'pqsrj >tidn' .as.- to :there being! .wide? fonidation. for belief ias to wilfully inferior' wo'rk'i in ; New. Zealand .indus'tries-generally.—l' am,tC " '■;■:.'. OJDWAIffI^EIteEAS;;;;