World of Work.

Maoriland Worker, Volume 2, Issue 13, 2 June 1911, Page 7

World of Work.

Notes on Labour at Home and Abroad

Collated by "BLOCHAIRN."

Despite the Osborne judgment, the Executive of the Scots Miners' Federation have appointed political organisers to do propaganda, work in those constituencies in -which the Federation has decided to run Parliamentary candidates. Duncan Graham, the chief political organiser, has reported in favour -of more miners' candidates heing put in the field at next Parliamentary election, and a committee, "with 'power to act," has been a pointed to go into the whole question rullv.

The Socialist administration of Milwaukee is prosecuting the owners of factories in that city who lock the factory doors during working hours. Locking factory doors during workinghours is quite a common practice in America, a 1 though contrary to the fire regulations of every State in the Union, and despite the serious loss of life in several great factory fires, the number of victims of which was greatly augmented by reason of locked doors, not one single factory owner ever has been punished for breach of the fire laws. . In the House of Commons the resolution by Will Crooks in favour of a minimum wage of thirty shillings per week for every adult worker was talked out. The Secretary to the Board of Trade said the Government was xuiable to accept the resolution., and that they must leave the settlement of rates of wages to the free play of economic forces. Imagine a Minister of the Crown, with combines, syndicates, trusts and employers federations on every side of him, talking about "the free i>l ay of economic forces." Truly, none are so blind as they who won't see.

"Why is the Labor movement to-aay less able to resist encroachment of industrial despotism than it was a couple of decades ago ? "Why, simply because of the fact that organised Labor has not changed in its construction, while the employers of labor have come together in a solid phalanx and now present a solidarity that bids defiance to every weapon in the arsenal of the Labor movement as at present constituted. The way out lies through industrial Unionism plus Socialist political action.

Socialism points all peoples toward the light of justice and knowledge and away from the darkness of injustice and ignorance, and the people of all lands arc turning towards the light despite the politicians and labor leader agents of reaction. A Chinese Working-class Party has been organised in the flowery kingdom under the name of the Chinese Section of the Workers' International —as near as it can be translated. The world does move—a .glorious future for humanity awaits humanity's decision to accept it.

'•The boundaries fixed by knaves shall fall."

After a memorable the California Eight Hours' Bill has passed the State .Legislature. Only one industry lias been exempted—covering the harvesting, canning or drying of perisiable fruits and vegetables—although attempts were made to have various industries exempted on (the ground that business would be ruined and women workers injured. If the exemptions asked had been granted, the very womea who needed most the Inew Act's protection wotdd have been 'sacrificed. Even after the Bill passed many corporations tried to prevail on the Governor to refuse his sanction, bappily without effect.

The British Trades Unions are setting about to introduce the gospel of Trades Unionism into India. At present Indian law, or rather British law in India, prohibits the wage slaves of that country from organising, but Trades Unionists of Britain are learnin.; , that the no-vote Indian can be used by British capitalists in competition with the workers of Britain, thereby enlarging the number of noWork Britons. The awakening interest of the British worker in the welfare of his Indian fellow wage slave—in the last analysis—like everything else, has an economic basis.

Colorado State Legislature has passed an Act prohibiting the use of deception, misrepresentation, false advertising and false pretences and unlawful force in' the procuring of employees to work in any department of labor in that State, and fixing penalties, criminal and civil, for violation thereof. Considering the popularity of "kidnapping" in U.S.A., the Act in question hasn't come before it was wanted.

A letter received from a comrade in Utah, dated April 20th, says:—"Yesterday, after a ten days' strike, tho mill-workers in the Silver King mill, Park City, returned to work on an eight hours' day in place of the ten hours that existed before the strike. On April Bth, after the demand for an eight hour day was refused, the millhands walked out. The officials of tho Western Federation of Miners acted as representatives of the strikers during the negotiations with the employers."

One union, of all workers in an industry ■ all industries in one union.

Industrial Unionism is making headway steadily in Britain, chio much to the energy and eloquence of Tom Mann, ably assisted by "Blochairn'.s" old colleague, J. N. Bell, and Ben Tillott, and Harry Orbcll. A scliome has been drawn tip for the amalgamation of twenty unions, including the London Dockers, the engincmen, and cranemen, and the National Amalgamated Union of Labor. The precise details are not yet to hand, but the scheme is being submitted to the various unions for their acceptance or rejection.