"WE MUST ORGANISE"
: * AUSTRALIA'S ONLY HOPE
PRODUCTION TO BE INCREASED
MR. HUGHES OUTLINES HIS
SCHEME
"The war has taught us many lessons, by waioli, if ire aro vine, we ehall prolit. ft lias made dear that an unorganised nation cannot compete with an 91C'lnisod nation, nor an unorganised wSiistry with ouo that ie organised; that there is a direct und intimate relation between industrial and national wellaio, that any policy which disregards ""* relation stands condemned. i> u( j "f the text on which Mr. W. M. Hughe*. Prime Minister of Australia, biifacd a careiully prepared address to a . iMrfi numfler ot representatives ot the com morcial and industrial interests of fcvju ney a Tow days m- I'ha «=«» » Luncheon at tho Town Hull, undei mo wsS of tUe-Chainben of Coinuierco nd I "Manufactures. After dealing w.U the urgent need for the orgaui=alio of Australian industries m order lo l> - .1.10 the comparatively «w«""2 whicii tho war has cost the tommou wielffi, Mr. HuKl.es outlined wha 10 clfti.iiwl to bo a comprehensive a »f l , " 1 tusal scheme for tho devclopmeu . md co-ordination.of the primary «nd "wna" arv Industries of the Comuimiwea I . •Vhe Prime Minister spoke lor an hour mid a half, under peouliar wstmiut Hβ «as obviously far from his Uβaleelt. He made only a passing refeieuce, at the beginning of I; f> *V*&. .Vi ' I" tary situation of tho war. Wo meei. said Mr. Hughes, "under wfticTare a startling commentay on tue vicissitudes of national Jilo. and the un certainties that surround our J^ 11 "*; Who could have said three !«"»««' that we Bbould be Heated h«c after having demonstrated in an uu paruffelcd way the resources ot 011 J-m pire, and having con routed onr grea Jneiny by an array of force W^ 10 ' 1 ""S ll ' well lave conquered the world, andlye , we meet under the shadow ot the Rreat est disaster which lias ever overtukei the Allies einco the war bgan. No greata evidence of the power of the enen.y touk be riven than tho debacle of Italy. Jiu the military situation .deserves and musl liavo ample'consideration and trealment upait from our object in meeting, her to-day. It will got that oonsideratioi in due course. (Applause.) "Wβ Must Organise." "Whon war broke out," ho went, od "Germany was organised industrial! and nationally, for peace and for wav or rather lor economic and comuiorcia war, us well as for war commonly & called. Hor organisation rested upon . national basis; it was directed toward the development not only, 0 the indue tries of Germany, but ot the power 0 Gormany-every step towards the deve opment of trade, every improvement. 1 industry, contributed to the expansio o£ Germany's national power. Britaii not organised at all, 'wlußtnally•. nationally, except as a naval Pon er, en, this organisation was a thing apart fror, her industrial life. The results of th two pulicies are only too clearly sho«i by the relative industrial and genera urocress of tho two countries, and by ou Umpire's hairbreadth escape from no tional destruction. Germany's lnduetriQ progress during the, last 1!5 years ha been extraordinary, before the war sh was outstripping all other countries even the United States of America, em in another decade her peaceful conquea of the world would have beou complete The secret of her success was orgamsn tion-industrial, commercial, and hnan cial—all resting upon and actively sui ported by the full strength ot the ns tiouat resources-a closely woven networ which, covored tho whole sphere of he economic activities, both in tho home an foreign markets, and had its roots in th ■ vitals of tho nation itself. Her succes in foreign markets was a convincni proof of the efficiency of her methodi Germany's whole industrial, commorcia and financial organisation was directe to the capture of the foreign uiarkej • Her turnover actually increased by ei • times in 40 years. Her share in th 1 world's trade in 1870 was three milliard of marks, in IS9O eight milliards, and. 1 I'JIO 18 milliards. From 1870 to 1911 hei 1 man exports rose from 13U0 to 8100 mi ; lions of marks. We know from our ow 1 experience in the metal industry the e: : tont to which German domination ot th economic world in'certain directions ha ' gone. It is then no exaggeration to 6a; ' as things were going, that in anotne 1 ten years organised Germany would hav ' wrested tho trade supremacy of : tt • world from the hands of uuorganise 1 Britain, reduced Kussia and Italy t 1 economic servitude, and bestrode tho con ■ morcial world like a Colossus. "Our Opportunity."
"Destiny has now given us a groat opportunity," ho said. "Wo havo had time to realise how narrow was our escape from economic vassalage, and have witnessed the wonders, the miracles, achioved by Britain through organisation tor war. , "As for ourselves, it is not too niucn to say that without organisation we should have been undone. Industrial, commercial, and financial disaster would have been our lot. By organisation our wheat, wool, butter, metals, and other products, the value of which falls for this year not far short of have been successfully disposed Organisation is a worker of miracles, lurned against us, as it was by Germany, it nearly destroyed us, but in our hands it has beon both sword and shield, and proved our salvation. Shall we with a these evidences before our eyes, with allthat past failures and present successes have taught us of the value of and neceseity for organisation, sit with folded hands doing nothing until inexorable circumstances destroy us? "The financial burdens imposed by tho war are very heavy indeed, and are increasing every day," continued Mr. Hughes. "Wo have borrowed millions of money; taxation has been greatly increased. We arp spending about X 80.000,000 ou war this year. That is to say, the war is costing us roundly an amount about equal to the value of the wool clip, the wheat crop, and the base metals output, ovon at tho present high prices. We can not afford to pay such an amount out of our income, eo we are forced to resort to loans. We are borrowing the greater portion of this hugo amount within the Commonwealth, but it ie most important to note that we could not raise one quarter of the sum needed were it not that' Britain has bought our wool, wheat, nml metals, and advanced us tho money, although onlv a portion of sonio of these products hoe been vet transported over-wns-the "rent "bulk of this .£80,000,000 ie spent in Australia. We are most ot us living on this money now. It circulates amongst all classes. lo this fiwt is due our prosperity. But for selling our Roods to Britain, and getting tl-e luonov, despite our inability to deliver the goods, conditions in Australia would lie verv different "I Will state what, in my opinion, nro the essential factors of sncli mi civilisation as is necessary for our progress, lie went on. "It must rest upon a national basis; it must be comprehensive in scope, dealing with every phase of primary mul secondary industry, from production rii-ht through lo consumption nr sale; it must TCgard the welfare of Hie industry and of the natimi. and not merely of tlu> individual. Tlip sclipino of organisation we ndont must- be smt«l lo on ,, ("ivironme"'. We two nnvl of the British Umpire. We are 5.000,000 uroiili , , living within a stone's thrmv of ITO million". Nationally .and economically those fads condition our national and economic policy. Tt is obvious that wo i>m«l- to lite oversell nmrl;eU lo tnltfl (be bulk of our primnry products, nml as lime pusses wore and more of our luniuifnctnrod products nlsn. There live iti'ont imwibililiPß for « s in the markets of Hie finsl. But it is I'lenr Hint In develno export I rude comelliing more 'linn mere production of :i commodity liiir lo bo o'ld here the nvßaniwilion which dewnds upon indiviilnnl efforts, nnd not upon llmw nf Ilio industry and of the community, must certainly fail. Labour's Pni't. "Tho effective orgnninntion of industry is as essential lo the .welfare of lnb-
our as it is to that of capital, iho interests of labour arc- served by reguiar employment at high wiges, awl H is obvious that it is to tho bonoht ot labour that conditions should, exist that make those possible. Employment cannot bu regular unless thero l* iv regular . and sufficient demand for goods, and this domaud is only pos&iblo m un organised community. The rate of wages depends upon tho amount of weal I. I'Jftuesd Wages can bo increased only if Iho pioduction is increased; Here is no other wn y This limitation is obvious andjltooluto! and does not nrisc- from the capita 1istic system, but is independent o it. The wag.* of u man under any syslein under individualism or socialism ~1 I type must necessarily bo lunilcd by I"» a mm producd. Iho doctrine preach«l. that the worker* can. bench y ducing as HUle as possible !o;.be I.g - est possible wages, » stupid ■»»«■" nernlcious. 1 xjienenco proves thai «liu« Eduction per'capita & greatest wage are 'niid'cot. Coincrsely. whore wa<,cs are highest production par capi'.a. * ue.itwi. In countries en- ploying |»ri«ntlve methods proluctioi p« capita is Zy low, and wages soijnfy by increasing the amount ol woaiu tSiecd »ilh a given quantity ol laLur.iK.wer can a progrcbsivo high-w. go stauduel bo maintained. This involve Ue adoption of tho most modern plant 'ml scientific methods of produebon "It is w (he interest of labour and capital that modem up-to-date machinery ami scientific ju-ithotts of productl n should be adopted, but these in, thenselvesi Will not ensure tho economic weliuro 6f * country, behind the machin s the man; labour !« the groat factor « oroduc ion, and unless there is no 12 ont.nnUy of industrial operation* but cordial relations ■«» capital bcuoiiich of orgauiDhtion and sc - S methods can hardly V™°™ ecssful. How to bring about a bcttei u derstandtng between tabouran.lcl.sv bJ is the great problem, world-wide in scope, which wo must understand and possible solve. Any scheme ot 0 iganisation must fall unless it secur* il.e co-operation of labour as well a. 'of capital. I want employers to .realm one great fact, that perhaps owing tc r cent events tliey may be. incline., h overtook. Urganised abounshere an ft la here to stay. It has met with reverse but that was because it ho. permitted the control, of its affairs « Lss into the hands of extreme and .n Lerant men. There is a lesson tor aT of us in tho recent strike. What ha. happened to labour will happen to an; boar of men who, having power, rise 1 .justly, and consider not what is bee 0" the community but only that win L best for themselves. Labour sufferc a reverse because it abandoned • lugl ideals, and forgot that with great pow« fliero go great responsibilities. but A wo remind it of it« duti«, w must not on the other baud forgot thai it has rights which we must conserve If any scheme or organisation is to W successful it is essential that, labou: uS positively assured than unde. the Kuise of greater efficiency a polic of sw ating, of speeding up. its wor and cutting down its wages, is not mill; was a revolt by one sectio, of labour-an attempt by those to when had beon entrusted duties vital to flu welfare of the community to starve a coerce tho community. Whether it to a capitalist or unionist that rovo tedthe community would do the work itself (Applause.) The rights of the commun itjil wore supremo, and that was one 0 the great lessons we could learn fron tho recent strike. (Applause.) He coulc not help feeling amused when he heare many of his old friends talking of thi manner in which the strike came, a< they said, to an unhappy Those people should know, if any elioulc know, that the strike was broken bj unionists. (Applause.) If they went or to the wharves he would guarantee tttej wouW find that five out of 10 men, fiver six out of every ten, . working ther were members of the industry, if no! of that union of some other union. (Ap plause.) The economio pressure was toe preat-the work of the community had t< be carried on. (Applause.) Scheme Outlined. He would first set out the. scheme ir broad outlines:-(l) The unit of th( scheme would be the association representing each industry-primary end secondary. That would be composed 0 all the producers or manuiacturore ot an industry forming themselves into an association. (2) There won dbe a general council of commerce and industry com, posed of representatives of tho various associations. 1 (3) There/ would be a department of Commerco and Industry end a Jlinistor for Commerce and Industrj. A first-class business man would be appointed as permanent head of. this liepartment. There would bo joined, with him other experts representing primary and Industry Bureau, placed on a. manent basis, and thoroughlypupped and staffed, would be an integral .W' of the organisation, and be at the disposal of the Department of. Commerce Sd Industry, and of the various Indus. teUl associations. (5) Trade represent* tives would be appointed in the principal oversea markets. . The object of the association would n.ol be political or general, but economic, and confined within the limits of its particular industry. lb function w« no to produce (that would remain in the hands of the individual, as at present , but to consider and advise upon all the circumstances of the. industry including that of production, distribution, safe, and finance. The association would ascertain exactly the position of the industry in relation to home and foreign markets, to promote its welfare, enoourage its development, assist: the individual to produce at the lowest minimum o cost, and dispose of his product so as tc uivo the best return. .. "The functions of the general council would be both advisory and executory. It would co-ordinate the activities ol the various associations, give the support of its authority and influence tc proposals put forward by them for de. velopiug trade, opening up new oppc-r tunities, improving methods of piodUv tion, securing financial assistance, protecting local interests, recommending necessary legislation, e.g. tanft or bonus or whatever might be deemed, desirable for the protection and expansion ot indUStry' Science and Industry. "The Government proposed to establish, on a permanent basis,, the Bureat of Science and Industry, which had bee in operation for the past 18 month.. The best men would be appointed rhej would be given ample authority and adenuato financial backing. The Qovernmen Proposed to link up the bureau, througt the technical colleges, the universities and general schools, and in that way tc influence tho general outlook of the nation. (Applause.) There was the educa ion propaganda to which they had look for the success of the scheme. Apnlause) Production meant prosperity A lause!) They must first 01 all make he country productive. ho had outlined the Government ■ . prepared to do, not in a year or two, but ov (Applause.) It was ■ prepared U ppoint; experta in the, oversea maAeb and to loud the financial aid that « « necessary to back up the'r eftorts m every way. He was perfectly satisucu thew wan no salvation or )<»*&s» country unless it was by the adoption of some such schomo. (Appla«»e-) l »Si„co the bulk of their products must ueceSv find markets.overseas c r> uo scheme of organisation ,yon <1 suflwe SS? existeel or coule becmahrf fo tto Wa n .»iTHS a 'earVnt wouhlbe money have not onlj to pi our hi nur pay for the war 0ml.» « b ' t ~o ld it
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Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 44, 15 November 1917, Page 6
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2,619"WE MUST ORGANISE" Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 44, 15 November 1917, Page 6
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