£1000 A YEAR LEADERS.

Hokitika Guardian, 2 March 1920, Page 1

£IOOO A YEAR LEADERS.

LONDON, Dec. 30. Mr G. T. Cramp relinquishes the presidency of tho National Union of it ail way men with tho New Year to become Industrial Secretary of the railwaymen’s organisation at a. salary of £BOO a year, rising to £IOOO. Although all trade union officials are not paid at. this rate, it is not the highest salary paid in the trade union world. At least one other trade union official outside the railwavmcn’s organisation receives a four-figure salary. There arc many people who arc inclined to cavil at such high salaries being paid to mere trade union officials. Such people cannot bear to think that trade unionists are able to pay really good salaries to their leaders, and imagine that tlie officials in question cannot render their men any really adequate return for the salaries they receive. Tlie railwaynien, at any rate, think differently.

A great industrial trade union like the National Union of Railwaymen is a comparatively wealthy organisation, with largo funds at its disposal. Owing to the delicacy and intricacy of the negotiations which have to be conducted on their behalf the members believe in having tile best men for tho job and are prepared to pay them accordingly. They have realised the value of employing specialists to conduct negotiations with employers, now that the issues at. stake so often affect the well-being of hundreds of thousands of men. . The day of the amateur negotiator is over. To the settlement of a labour dispute the employers send the keenest intellects they, can find in their own ranks. The workers must do the same if they want to make good bargains for them-, selves. The ralivaymen have decided to do so. Mr V. T. Cramp’s apjiointment and the salary lie is to receive is evidence of this. Years ago a group of trade unioni s whose wages averaged 30s a week were twitted for voting one of their chuff officials a salary of £5 weekly. “That s all right,” said one of the men, ‘‘we pay him £5 a week because we think £5 a week a living wage and it happens to be the figure that we mean to get out of the employers one of these days for ourselves.” Whenever a decent wage advance is received by any large body of worker ~. the total is at once calculated by someone who promptly asks, “Where is aJ. this money to come from?”

New inventions are appearing constantly all with the same object—the lessening of the cost of production. Thus the effect of increases of pay and shorter hours on the employer’s profits is soon made up for. So now the workers are! beginning to take a firm stand on the principle that machinery, must not he used solely to increase, the profits of the employers. It must also he used to benefit the workers h.v increasing their remuneration, lessening their hours, or bettering conditions of labour.