THE LABOUR MOVEMENT

Evening Star, Issue 22452, 24 September 1936, Page 16

THE LABOUR MOVEMENT

(By Trade Unionist.)

TECHNICAL COLLEGE BOARD. During the month of August, the local trades unions received a circular from the principal of the King Edward Technical College, Mr Aldridge (who acts as returning officer for the Electing Committee), requesting trade unions to appoint one representative to the board. This meeting was duly held last Thursday, when about 30 delegates attended and re-elected Mrs W. Herbert unopposed. Mrs Herbert has been a trades union representative on the Board of Governors for the past nine years, during which time she has rendered good service to the .trades union in this capacity. In thanking those present for her re-election, Mrs Herbert spoke of the splendid work being performed on behalf of technical education. She explained that when the Minister of Education (the Hon. P. Fraser) visited the school some few weeks ago, he expressed to the speaker personally his satisfaction with tho way the school was being conducted. Mrs HerJbert also urged upon the trade unionists who were parents of pupils attending the school the necessity of giving their boys and girls a chance. _ Very often the pupils were in the middle of a course when some suitable employment became available, and, as a result of this, their school careers were cut short. This was not giving the school or the pupil a chance, and she urged upon the parents to endeavour to give their children an opportunity to continue their education. Mr W. W. Batchelor, who is the other trade union representative on the board, intimated to the meeting that, owing to his numerous public duties he had reluctantly decided to resign his position on|®he board. Mr Aldridge announced that, as soon As he received Mr Batchelor’s official resignation, he would call another meeting for the purpose of electing another member to the board to represent employees. • • • % COST OF WASTED LABOUR. There is general disquiet at the prospect of vast numbers of men and women being without work for month after month, and all, too often year after year, but few people realise the enormous costs of idle labour, both to the individual and industry and to the nation (says the financial editor of the London ‘ Daily Herald ’), Some idea of the enormous cost is shown by statistics compiled by the American Federation of Labour and published in its current monthly business survey, the analysis made being of unemployment in the United States during the last six years. During that period, it is stated, nearly 59,000,000 man-years of work have been lost, with a corresponding Joss to the national income of tho enormous total of £26,000,000,000. In other words, every family in tho United States could have had about £9OO more to live on in the last six years if tlie unemployed “ had been at work producing goods in mines and factories, or giving service in trade, transportation, or professonal work, assuming an equal distributou of the work created; 0 Because these men and women were idle, we have to-day shortages in practically every article necessary tor a comfort living standard,” asserts the federation. “ Millions of our people live in poverty or bare subsistence simply because we do not produce enough to give them what they need. “ Our industries . are equipped to give them this living standard; our hian-power is more than sufficient, with 11,000,000 standing idle._ Vet in 1936 our national production fell short of a comfort living standard by £6,000,000,000 worth of goods and services.” Meanwhile, other American Federation of Labour statistics indicate tho trend of such recovery, as there has been in the United States. Since the worst of the depression in March, 1933, 6.300,000 men have gone back to work; but the number seeking jobs has increased by 1,900,000. More than 11,000,000 men and women who want jobs have found no place in industry—because the rate of re-employ-ment is not keeping pace with business recovery. Lengthening of working hours is also having an adverse effect, one recent investigation showing that 839,000 possible jobs were lost by increased hours of work imposed after the end of the National Recovery Act. On the other side, food prices are moving upwards again, rents and other costs are rising, while vyages Jag. “ Industry in general,” it is reported, “is now operating on wider profit margins. Unless income increases are shared with workers by a general lifting' of wage levels, buying power, will not increase enough to keep industry moving upward for more than a brief period.”

“ If the world is to he saved from war, the whole economic structure of society, now being bolstered up by decaying Capitalism, will have to bo overhauled drastically,” declared Mr Michael Dromgoole, in his presidential address to the Irish Trade Union Congress at Tralee recently. The war menace now overhanging the world, ho said, and the social and economic evils under which its peoples were groaning, were due to the breakdown of the Capitalist system. But he warned delegates that no solution was to be found in the extremes of Communism or the tyranny of Fascism. Rather was the remedy to be found by energetically striving by Labour activity to substitute social Justice for free competition for private gain as the guiding principle of economic life. Dealing with the _ shorter workinghour week in relation to unemployment, he declared that this was a question of outstanding importance, and from now on the demand should be pressed with vigour. * * • * LABOUR M.P.’S AND THE TRADE UNION MOVEMENT. There is a comparatively small percentage of the present Labour M.P.’s who were directly associated with, the Trade Union Movement, most of the Labour Members who were elected last November being members of the Labour Party branches, which had, at that time, a preponderance of votes in tho selection ballots. Mr W. Denham, member for Invercargill, was at one time secretary of the°lnvercargill Tramways Union, but for tho last 35 years has not been active in a trade union, as he was in business on his own account. Of the members holding our local scats, Messrs Jones and Campbell were probably exceptions. Mr Jonbs, the present Postmaster-General, held the position of president of the Bootmakers’ Union for a number of years, but was more actively. associated with the Otago Labour Representation CommittCMr A. Campbell, the member for Port Chalmers, was for a long number of years secretary of the Port Chalmers Waterside Workers’ Union. Going north, there is the Rev. Nordmeyer, member for Oamaru; the Rev: Clyde Carr, member for Timaru; Mr D Barnes, member for Waitaki; and Mr Herring, member for Ashburton. These were mostly unknown men, with tho exception of‘Mr Carr, before the elections, and, as far as I know, were not associated with trade unions. In Christchurch, we find two cstrade union secretaries —Messrs Armstrong (Minister of Labour), and E. Howard, Chairman of Committees, Mr Armstrong was at one time secretary of the Christchurch Tramways’ Union, and Mr Howard was for a number of years secretary of the Canterbury General Labourers’ Union. In the North Island Messrs Semple (now Minister of Public Works), M'Keen, and Chapman _ were Labour members who were ex-nnion secretaries the latter being the only M.P. who has remained associated with his trade union, as he still continues to act as president of the Wellington Printing Trades Union. Of the other members throughout the North Island holding county seats, most of them are new men, with the exception of Mr Lee Martin (Minister of Agriculture), who. I understand, was in his youthful days secretary of the Wellington Painters Union, which position he relinquished about 25 years ago to go farming. Labour members holding the Auckland seats have not been known in tho industrial movement to any great extent, outside of Mr Parry (Minister of Internal Affairs) and Mr Savage (Primo Minister). Mr'Parry became well known as a result of being president of the Waihi Miners’* Union during the time of the Waihi strike. Mr Savage, when tho writer first met him, was secretary of the Auckland Brewery Workers’ Union, which was only a part-time position. Mr Savage was one of the early members to be elected to the House, at which time-he relinquished hit connection with his union. _ * • • • SEAMEN’S DEMANDS. When the 1.L.0. holds its special maritime conference at Geneva in October the British Government will support the principle of an international convention on seamen’s hours and manning. This decision is important, as it vastly improves the chances of securing such an agreement. Britain has hitherto played an inglorious part in all attempts to get conventions on hours, tho “ National ” Government obstructing every effort and doing all it could to wreck hope of ever securing them. Its different attitude in regard to seamen’s hours and manning may be traced to the fact that the British ship owners and the National Union of Seamen recently reached agreement for a substantial reduction of hours of deck hands and in regard to manning, and that they expect to negotiate a further agreement with regard to the hours of other grades. British ship owners will naturally not object to attempts to ensure at least similar terms in other countries, and the Government takes its cue from that. • ♦ • * UNITED STATES HAS FAITH IN J.L.O. Belief in the successful outcome of co-operation between the United States and the 1.L.0. was expressed by. Miss Frances Perkins, United States Secretary of Labour, speaking at a lunch given in her honour by the 1.L.0. “ The United States, she said, “ has a firm belief in the method of democratically co-operating, with modern technique of efficiency, to achieve the great ends, which we have in view. , " These are, essentially stated, shorter working hours, higher average level of wages, abolition of health and accident hazards in industry, education rather than employment for children, social security effected by insurance against the outstanding hazards of old age, illness, and unemployment, and, particularly, the security represented by prevention of the very hazards against which insurance may be sought. The 1.L.0. is an admirable device for further co-operation towards these ends, and tho United States will go on along this path towards the humanisation of industrial relationships. ” It hopes that it will have the cooperation of all the the world.” i Miss Perkins added that at the present time the international character of industrial and labour problems was quite obvious. , The same problems, she said, appeared in all countries.