World Of Work

Maoriland Worker, Volume I, Issue 7, 20 March 1911, Page 10

World Of Work

(.Collated by "Ulochairx.")

"COME OFF THE FENCE."

Lend us a hand! We are weary of striving; Straining eacli nerve unyielding; and tense; Why do yon, when we need your assistance, Placidly neutral, still sit on the fence. Inwardly sure of the right of our pleading, Secretly hoping success to our fight, Step from your outlook, your neutral position, Bravely and openly join us outright. Deep in your hearts you approve or our wishes, 'Tis but a question of time, as you know. Openly come to us, say you are with us, Now is the time to encourage us so. Are we not pleading for llight and for Justice ? 13are nob deny it; it is no pretence. Come with your influence, eloquence, wisdom, Come down and help us! ''Come down off the fence !'' .Strength united is .stronger, and betcause it. is so (says the Queensland "Worker , ') the iViaoriiand fehearers -Federation has united forces with tiio New Zealand Federation or JLabour. Will Bishop Julius please note.: —A highly-skilled dressmakers' employee (says the "Glasgow' Herald") is said to receive 3s for an embroidered robe, which it takes three days to work. With such a wage it would be interesting to learn how she knows she is iiighly skilled The Commonwealth Premier, Andy ."Fisher, has accepted an invitation iron; the Ayrshire miners, Scotland, to visit them when he ia in Great .Britain. JLike 3veir Hardie, Andy a> a native of the Burns' County. The .London "Times" Australian correspondent describes 1910 as Australia's most prosperous year. PreiKts were made faster than they could be .spent The prospects commercially and agriculturally for 1911 were satisfactory. The Old Book says : "The tree is .known by his fruits." Can it be that, after all, Labour Governments are more accommodating to the exploiters than either of the old parties V Important to Craft Unionists. —At the last meeting of the Brisbane Caxidlemakers' Union the following resolution was carried unanimously by its members. — Having a desire to become progressive, and recognising the fallacy of sectional unionism, we do hereby decide to 'disbandon the above union and become part of the A.W.A. The Unicn was 30 strong, and all hands .arc taking A.W.A. tickets. The modern employer is exacting in his demands. Witness the following advertisement out from a London paper:— Youth wanted, with one leg. Must have right leg off, about 18, height about sft. 6in. Active, willIng. No objection to travelling. Address, etc. The struggle for existence is in some parts" of Maoriland. The "Waikato Miners' Union received an appeal last month from a South Island Union in aid of a member in distress through long sickness. The Waikato Miners were obliged to reply that the call for aid around their own door was so insistent they were unable to assist the needy anywhere else. In the Union's minutes for February the truth of the above statement may be found. One of our daily papers stated recently that the Trades Schools for girls established b.y the London County Council, are reported to "have proved so successful that employers cannot get as many trained girls as are required." One would think from reading the foregoing that training workers should be a good cure for unemployment, but if that were so why is it there are so many thousands of trained school teachers unemployed in the Old Country ? Boston railway guards are receiving lessons in elocution, so that they may pronounce clearly the names of the

Motes oah Labour at Mome and Abroad

stations. Minister of Railways Millar might do worse than start similar classes for Maoriland railway porters and assistant stationmnsters. Diiiicdin Hotel Employees' Union has filed an application for three new sets of claims as to hotels, restaurants, private hotels and boarding-houses The wages asked range from £1 5s for general hands to £4 10s. per week for chefs. According to the A.W.17. "balance sheet, Donald Macdoneli drew £G per week from the Shearers all the time he was drawing £G per week as a member of Parliament, in addition to smaller sums as conference expenses. Is this not a case of the shearers shorn r Mr. Frank Thompson, general manager and secretary of the Christ church Tramways Board, has been appointed by the Board as its representative on tne Tramway Board of Appeal for Canterbury. We have not yet received copies of the resolutions of congratulation passed by the various Maoriiand Tramway Workers' Unions. Tulle, in the South of France, would seem to be an ideal place for a man with a large family. Beginning w'th the New lear, every municipal employee WLth two children received a 10 per' cent increase in wages, and every employee with four cihiiaren received a 20 per cent increase. The following bi-monthly intimation iviu made to tne joint secretaries of the Scots Manufactured Iron Trade Conciliation and Arbitration Board, by Mr John M. MacLeod, C.A., Glasgow.— In terms of the remit I have examined the employers , books ;m<l sertity the average realised net selling price at works brought ut is £0 3s 2.90 d per ton. Chis means an increase of 2f 2 - ,per cent in the wages of the workmen. r he Arbitration Board in question is tie oldest and, as tilings are, has a more equitable basis than any other in existence. Indifference is clogging the nheels of progress. What will rouse the workers to enthusiasm for their own interests ? nere in the iNorth Island the Waikato Miners' Union had an election for president. Out of a membership of oetween three hundred and icLir hundred only seventy-five exercised their, right at the ballot. After <i. spell of about four months, Mr. Jauie- Fulton was re-elected to the position, polling fo>rty-niiie votes, the other candidate, Mr. E. Hunter, receiving twenty-seven ! The otlner day the manager of a. West Coast quarry had an exciting experience while directing the operations of blasting. The dynamite charges had been prepared and laid aside, but they could jiot be found, the man responsible having laid them on the grass, without taking notice of the particular spot. Ail Che were turned out to look for the missing explosives. Just when he vas about tired of the search, the manager happened to look down and found lie was standing on tihe charges, the taekets of his big boots having cut the outer case. He skipped briskly, and the charges were safely and tenderly gathered up. In the House of Assembly, Capetown, on March 7, the Hon. D. P. de V. Graaf, Minister for Public Works, speaking on the second reading of the Mail Contract Bill, advocated modified passage rates similar to those between Italy and Argentina, which mignt solve South African labour troubles by inducing Briti&'h workmen to come season after season as Italians go to Argentina. Who said the capitalists do not understand the working of economiclaw ? lidinbutgh lamplighters are modest. They recently asked the City Lighting Committee to relieve them twice a. week from reporting themselves. Under existing circumstances the men are required to report themselves at ten o'clock each forenoon. The reason for the request was to allow the men to get sufficient time for sleep at least twice a week. The Committee remitted to the inspector to make such arrangements as he sees fit witliout interfering with the efiiciencv of the service. One

wonders if the City Fathers of "Au'd Reekie :1 do not think that insaifficie-ioy or sicji? on the part of employees is a most effective way of interfering with the eihciency of the service. It has been stated there are 50,000 organised trades unionists in New Zealand. Accepting, this return as correct. 1 have, sorrowfully to confess that there are an odd few here and there among them who have not yet made their calling and election sure by subscribing; to -'The Maorilaud Worker." If any of these unregeiierate ones be numbered among your acquaintances, comrade, see to it that you gently, but none the less, rirmly, lead tiieni into vne valley -oh decision. One of the English candidates for the clerical position in the head office of the Amalgamated Society of Engineers, m place of the late Frederick Cromp ton, makes unalloyed Socialism the first in his platform. He believes that organised toilers would be a "happy family" if the 1100 trade unions in Britain were amalgamated with one, end in view — namely, to use the strike and lock - out against the employing class." He i.s of opinion that, such organisation is necessary to lock the masters "out- of the Legislative Chambers, and to strike at their profits.' , lie goes on to say : Then it would be possible to have the right to work. Until we do this our enemy, the capitalist, will see to it that we have Carlisle agreements, terms of settlement, wages agreements, etc., and otlier iiisidiotis methods of creating strife between societies and their members. The following wili illustrate further die truth of ins statements regarding Judgt Sim in jlr. Laracy's complaint; on the Threshing Dispute. A paragraph in the Judge's memorandum on the Waikato Coal Miners' Award reads: No attempt was made to explain tiiis large increase in payments under the clause; ana without some satisfactory explanation these figures support the view that the Company's grievance with regard to the matter is well founded. That explanation was not given be cause Judge Sim would not give the opoi I'unity. When the Secretary of tne union went into the witness box to explain the figures in a different way to that of the company's representative the Judge curtly asked him, "Are the figures as given correct?" and on the Secretary replying in the affirmative he was told to ''step down." Now the Jiidge issues the aforesaid statement. This calls to mind the aptness of the old Scots cabman's rep]j r to the query ■of a prospective "fare" : "Can you drivj mc to the Court of Justice?" jjio replied, "To the Coort o' Law, maybe; to the Coort o' Justice, na!" A report prepared by l,lr. G. R. Askwith, of the British Board of Trade, based on returns received from upwards of 15,000 farmers in Great Britain and Ireland, sets out that the total yearly earnings of farm labourers in the various districts of the .Homeland are as follow : Ireland —£-29 4s (weekly, 11s 3d); Wales—±:4(;i 16s (18s); England— las (18s 4d) ; and Scotland £50 19s 7d). In Renfrewshire, Scotland, the farm labourer receives the highest wages paid to Ms class in the British Isles —22s 6d per week. A farmer explains that the reason for this is not that land is ciieaper or that the productivity of the land is greatest in tliat county, but because farmers find tiiemseives compelled to offer a wage and conditions sufficient to induce their men to continue at farm labour, rather than seek work in the many shipbuilding yards that line the Clyde from Glasgow to Gourcck. This gentleman seems to nave stumbled on an economic law without recognising it. Speaking at the presentation of prices at the Christciiurch Technical College, on .February 20, Bishop Julius said : Fot bad work done the workman had made the excuse, "Well, people won't pay for decent work ! I could do better than that if I liked." That, his Lordship remarked, was no apology at all. True, your Lordship, but why assume it was meant as an apology V To my eyes it reads as an accusation ! You know the old adage, "'Like master, like man." Is there not the glimmer of Light there for you? If the "master's" ideals are low and sordid, what can you expect of the "man?" Isn't it bad science to blame an effect ? One should first seek to remove the cause. To do this try preaching from the text, "The labourer is worthy of his hire." At least it will be a change from the old monotonous harping on "work" and "thrift," as if these were the only duties and virtues left for the working classes to exercise.