LABOUR'S CHARTER.

Shannon News, 8 October 1929, Page 4

LABOUR'S CHARTER.

NATIONS INDUSTRIALLY INTER-DEPENDENT.

iTHE MOST HOPEFUL RESULT OF

PEACE OF VERSAILLES,

1.L.0.'s BENEFICENT WORK,

In his first broadcasted address as Prime Minister of Britain, the Rt. Hon. Ramsay MacDonald is reported to have said: "I cannot pass from speaking of the policy of Labour to, meet the needs of the modern industrial State without emphasising the international importance of domestic and indus- ' trial policy. iWe have gone beyond the time when we can pass factory laws without consideration of the factory laws that exist in other countries. Fifty years ago

that was all right; now there is 'no Government that can protect our standard of life except by \

'Agreement made with foreign nations through the International Labour Office."

The remarks .of the British Prime Minister prefaced the Rev. W. Beck-

ett's eleventh address A to the Levin W.E.A., the subject being "Labour and Internationalism."

1 THE THREE INTERNATIONALS. As far back as 1864, he said, when Trade Unions were not permitted anywhere in the world, except in Great Britain, the First International was

formed in London. It was a workman's association founded oni the principles of Karl Marx, but there wero manv of-the Labour

movement' in different countries who

did not agree with it, and the First International quietly expired after the Franco-German war of 1870. - In Paris in 1889 the Second, interna-

tional was founded by an. association of Socialist parties of different coun- ' tries. * Syndicalism' was taught an/d preached in France. It stood essentially for the point of yiew of the producer as opposed to that of the consumer. It was concerned with reforming ■actual work and the organisation of industry, not merely' with securing

greater, rewards for work. It aimed at ■ substituting industrial for political actHion, and its chief industrial methods were the strike',, boycott, the label iand

sabotage. The International represented the agreement between the Socialist paities for co-operation for common purposes, but when the war came there was no plan for, common action, the mind of the tin.e was weak and confused. Loyalty to national tradi- ' tions prevailed over the principles or" Internationalism, and the Second International' disappeared.

A' Third International had arisen—

largely Bolshevik —and it' had ' somer ■ what divided the Labour movement.

The British Labour Party, and he. believed the N.Z. Party, Avas decidedly , within the second and opposed to the Third International. THE CLASS WAR.

The lecturer said the intern>ationa*lism of Marx was based upon the assumption that the proletariat everywhere was oppressed by the ruling classes. The Jast.- words of the Communist manifesto . embody this idea: "Let the; riding classes , tremble at a Communistic revolution. The proletarians have"' nothing to lose but their chains. They h/iVve a world to win. Working men of all countries, unite!" The preaching of such a doctrine could not bat arouse hard and bitter feelings, and one of the great blessings arising out of the World War was the establishment of the International Lab-

our Organisation as ;a vital par.t of the League of Nations Compact. Before 1914 the Universal Postal Union, Universal Telegraphic Union and. certain international river commissions existed .and demonstrated that international mechanisms could function satisfactorily in certain narrow ~elds. JFUUiriON AT VERSAILLES. The. IntcrnationaKLabour Organisation ' came into existence Avith tho League of Nations under the Treaty ' cf Versailles and was in fact part of the Lsague. The money it spent was voted by the League Assembly and its headquarters were at Geneva. States .admitted to the League automatically became members of the International Labour Organisation. Part XIII of the Treaty of .Versailles was sometimes known as the Labour Charter. It provided for almost a world-wide effort at the improvement of conditions of- work. "Subject to and in accordance with the provisions of international conventions, existing or hereafter to be agreed upon," it declared, "the members of th-3 League (a) will ' endeavour to secure and maintain fai'- and humane conditions of labour for men, women and children, both in their own countries and in .all countries to. which' their commercial and indus'trial relations extend, and for that purpose w'ill establish and maintain the ndces3ary international organisations." -The High Contracting Parties arj stated to be "moved by sentiments of justice and humanity, as well as by the desire to secure the permanent peace of the world, that is, social justice in conditions of labour is sought both as a good thing in itself and also as an aid to peace between the nations."

DEVOLUTION THE ALTERNATIVE. It was said that this recognition of ■and concession to the aspirations of organised labour was an alternative to ■world-revolution already erupting in Bolshevik Russia and causing earth tremors and rumblings with occasional explosions- in Eastern and Central Europe. The establishment of the Organisation was perhaps due mostly to British influence, though the trend of things in other countries doubtless helped. The general fear of the spread of Bolshevism, which was already manifest in Hungary and Germany, and the many impulses, some honestly constructive, some dictated by fear, urged

statesmen to confess that the past lot of the masses 'had involved wrongs and that efforts must be made to establish more just conditions and further that there was something in tho contention, . hitherto most commonly held by Socialists and labour leaders, that international friction and capitalist exploitation, whether of consumers or workers, white or coloured, were frequently not unconnected. Such was the impression one got from the startlingly frank confession of 'the Preamble to Part XIII of the Treaty of Versailles. "TJnversal peace," it said, "which is the object of the League, can be established only if it is based, upen social justice. Conditions of labour exist,, Involving such injustice, hardship and privation to large numbers of people as to produce' unrest so great that the peace and harmony of the world are imperilled and au improvement of these conditions is urgently required. The failure of any nation to adopt humane of labour is ah obstacle in the way of other nations which desire to improve tho conditions of their own countries.." The great end|to be sought, says Article 427, is "the well-being, physical, moral and intellectual, of industrial wageearners." Then in the fore-front of certain general priiiciplcs "of special and urgent importance" is recorded the great all-inclusive essential, the recognition of human personality. Labour should not be regarded merely as a commodity or article of commerce. It was for this allowance of the claims of the'worker as a human -being, and not merely a cog in the machine, as a consumer entitled to a good life and not merely a producer, that follow other points,, such as the right of association, adequate wages, reasonable hours, a weekly rest day, protection of young persons and fair remuneration of women.

HOW THE 1.L.0. WORKS. The machinery of the International Labour, Organisation consisted of —

(1) A General Conference, meeting at least once, a year, of representatives of all the members that care to send thtm.

(2) An International Labour Office, permanently located at Geneva and controlled by the governing body.

Each members sends to the Ccnfcrencj

four delegates, two of whom are Government delegates acting on Government instructions. The other two, although carrying Government credentials, in. order to give the Conference

its necessary diplomatic character, have to be chosen by the Government in agreement with the most representative organisations of employers or workers in the country concerned. They l.epresent the emolovers '*tnd workpeople. WHAT IT IS DOING.

Great good has already resulted from the establishment of this office.

In the monthly summary of work, for instance, one reads of the draft convention for the simplification of the

inspection of emigrants on board ship, preventing undue annoyance, recommendations for the protection of emigrant women and girls on board ship, and the appointment of qualified women conductresses, and -'of interpreters on ships carrying at least 50 emigrants speaking a language. Delegates from

India drew attention to difficulties ex-

perieneed in the Indian textile industry through competition on the part of Japan, which.had not then ratified the iHours Convention or the Night Work of Women •Convention; this had sines been done and from July Ist, night woi k for women and young persons was supposed to be abolished in Japanese textile factories. Then there was the international codification of rules relating tc seamen's articles and agreements, agreements regarding deep sea fishing, the question of, hours in the mercantile marine, draft conventions regarding unemployment, age for the employment of children at sea, agricultural workers, the conference on the eight-hour day, sickness insurance, minimum wage fixing, correspondence !on industrial hygiene, the moft urgent relating to phosphorus necrosis, poisoning by derivatives of benzine and

kindred substances, pathological disorders caused by X-rays and tother radioactive substances, cancer caused by tar, resin, benzine, etc., rc.urring dermatitis caused by the action of dust or liquids, and periodical medical examination in unhealthy industries. Resolutions recommended action' in co-operation with the French authorities in favour of some fifty thousand distressed Armen-

ian refugees in Syria, and making arrangements to enable Russian student: to pursue their University work. The organisation took over refugee work in

1925 and tud transferred and fount 1 .

employment for 40,000 of the refugees. of whom over a million (Russians and Armenians) woie scattered throughout Europe and Chk-a. 'A*question concerning -night work in bakeries, in which the making of bread, pastry and other flour confectionery, during the night is forbidden, adopted by the 1.L.0. was affirmed by tho Permanent Court of International Justice. These were only a few of the matters dealt with and were taken-from one issue of the monthly summary, but they gave an idea of the scope and operation of the Organisation, and of r the humanitarian, and was compelled to say Christ-like work which was being done. "To me personally,'-' said the lecuire.r, "it was a spiritual tonic to read and especially to know that this is the kind of work that is being carried on continually by the' International Labour Office." The lecturer then went into closer detail of the work of the 1.L.0., referring to its function of collecting and distributing 'information and inquiring into industrial problems, and stated that by July, 1929, the ratifications by the 54 member States of various Conventions totalled 362. One complex problem that it would investigate was the relation of coal production in various countries; LABOUR m POWER.

After surveying the position of Labour in various countries, the lecturer said the position taken up by Mr Phil-

ip Snowden iat ,the Hajgde .Conference should dispose on®e ana:for *all--of*-the assertion that an internationalist is necessarily "in love with every country but his own." The advent M the Labour Party to the seats ifrf-poVer in the Old Country had already been marked by some outstanding..events.. There was the Anglo-Egyptian treaty, a bold attempt, to establish "peace with honour" in Egypt. The amazing grasp and understanding that the- Labour Chancellor (Mr Snowden) had manifested of the financial position of Great; Britain and his almost Mussolini-like pertinacity in holding out for a faiv and just distribution of the Ajllield obligations had been rewarded by a considerable reduction of the burdens on the British . ratepayer, furthering "peace with justice.'.' j Then, the Prime Minister had moved with astonishing repidity in the matter of a new AngloAmerican naval settlement. His forthcoming visit to America to promote a better understanding and the . limitation of naval armaments was fraught with the greatest possibilities of peace and goodwill to the world. The immediate evacuation of the Rbineland by the British troops and the announcement that Iraq is to be granted independence and admitted to the League of Nations were other achievements of Labour in power. "England, which the day before yesterday was self-sufficient, has become, almost, in a generation, fed from the other side of the world. Yesterday the workshop of the world —to-day she has rivals all about her.. Yesterday the creditor of the world —to-day heavily ~ indebted V. to nations bred from her loins. She can no longer assume the haughty attitude of refusing foreigners a share in the management of civilisation. They are partners with us in the great business of bringing in universal peace and brotherhood. With patience and wisdom a way will be found to live on the same planet in peace, for there is room for all; We

should try to understand one another — so will there arise a true sympathy and kinship. The differences that have been so slurp and so bitter between employ?:- and employed, between capital and i-ibovi' are not insoluble if the trouble id only taken to look at things from the. standpoint of the other fellow. When th re is that rea, deep, personal interest in, the aims and ambitions and struggles of others for a better life we sluill h:;vo progressed a long way toward the ideal of the Parliament of man and Ihe federation of the world."