The Labour World.

Southland Times, Issue 18834, 29 May 1920, Page 10

The Labour World.

(Conducted by D. Scott). Industrial History.—On again „ taking up in this column the s'ory of the Industrial Revolution, I may as well explain that a I glance at what has appeared previously will enable any new reader to continue without a break. Starting with the conditions about 1750 we saw that the condi ion of the worker was good, the system of production 1 being such tin*.t it enabled,the employer and I employee to work together for their mutual be nefit. I uni referring to manufactures, chiefly weaving; hut with die introduction of machinery the small mn.ter was gradually driven out. The factory system, with all its evils, had come to stay and in the mad lust for wealth wonien and children were sacrificed. But men like Lord Shaftesbury, Feilden, Oat-ller, Sadler and Robert Owen fought their battles and in the end, about 1847, the first ten-hour bill was passed into law, Engels, in his state of the working classes in 1844, says: "We hear of children and young people in factories overworked and beaten as if they were slaves; of diseases and distortions only found in manufacturing districts, of filthy, wretched homes where people huddle together like wild beasts; we hear of girls and women working in the dark recesses of the coal mines, dragging loads of coal in cars in places where no horse could go. Everywhere we find cruelty and oppression and in many cases the workmen were but slaves, bound to fulfil their master--,' commands under fear of dismissal and starvation.” We now come to the start of the Chartist movement (IS3B-IS4S) —so called, because the workers wanted a Charter. The vote by ballot; the abolition of property qualification for electors, and the payment of Parliament members, were the main objects, though they also asked for universal suffrage. There is no doubt that this period from 1848 until the passing of the Trade Union Act in 1871, was a particularly stormy one, intimidation and even outrages were some of the methods used by the workers to gain their end, but (he workers complained that they had no other way of giving utterance to their wishes. In 1873 came the formation of the Employers’ Federation aa a counter blast to Trade Unionism. The historian says: “That it is interesting to note that in trades where the workman has combined, since the repeal of the Conspiracy Laws in IS7O, wages have perceptibly risen.”

Wages and H.C.L.- A practical instance of wages being governed by the cost of living is given in the demand made by the Public Works employees at their recent interview with the Minister of Public Works (Mr Coatesl—Rates of pay: Hie wages shall be 18s per day, hut should the Government (1) provide dry canteens as hereafter provided for in these demands or where canteens are impracticable; (2) carry commodities for workers free of cost on railways from the four chief centres and undertake their distribution to the camp, then the wages shall be 1.5s per day.

P. C. Webb, The Man. —During a recent visit to the West Coast I came into personal touch with Paddy Webb, one of the men of the Labour army who has suffered and is suffering for his convictions. As to whether he is right or wrong I am not going to say; it is of Webb the man I wish to write, the man with that burning spirit of enthusiasm and love of the people. The Labour daily on the Coast was burnt clown and into the task of re-building he threw himself heart and soul, here, there and everywhere, working day and night until the paper was re-established in its old home. In the heart of the State mine I came on him trucking coal. On seeing the manager, he greeted him with “Coming to the meeting on Sunday afternoon; you know j our influence helps a lot.” He was referring to a meeting called for the purpose of beautifying Kunanga (the mining township! and abo push on with the recreation ground. Webb said to me, “What is the use of us calling ourselves Socialists, if we don’t try to get some of it down here?’’ and I like to think of Paddy Webb, covered in coal dust, with a dirty flannel and old pair of pants on, thinking of how he can hest help hix fellow men, not by words, but bj’ deeds. Some of you who have called him hard names just glance back over your past life and think of how much .j’otl have helped the cause of humanity! A man that does not know the word pessimism. He looks at the future as one in which the great principles he enunciates will be brought into o[icratinn. when the present sj'stem of competition will be replaced by goods*being made for use'ami not for profit.

Wellington Municipal Employees.—The terms of the agreement between the Welling'on City Council and representatives of the Municipal Employees include a rise of ltd per hour, with a minimum of 1/10} per hour, or a minimum weekly wage of £4 Its Sd, an increase of no per cent, on pre-war wage; a working week of 45i hours instead of 4C>A hours; seven days’ annual bolides for all employees, in addition to (he usual

statutory holidays, and payment for wet as well as dry weather. Fiji time payment for time lost through accident where the employee himself did nor directly contribute to the causes of the accident, was agreed to. and oilskins and leggings are to be supplied by the Council at rost price, ami a grant of £3 per annum (or more if the oilskins and leggings cannot be obtained at that price) will be made to each worker who requires same. Turncocks are to have a day off in seven, and shelter sheds are to be provided in the outlying disTicts and at the cemeteries. The increased pay will date from April 1. While the men will get the benefits agreed to without delay if such can be legally done, the Mayor (Mr J. P. Luke I explained at hist City Council meeting that as there was already an agreement in existence with the General Labourers’ Union, which covered a considerable portion of the employees, the two Unions would have to adjust their quarrel before an industrial agreement would be finally ratified.

Miners' Mystagmus. —“Six thousand miners (calculated Ur Lister Llewellyn, of the Institute of Mining Engineers! are disabled yearly by miners’ mystagnuis. He estimates the annual loss (in coal output and in workmen’s compensation) to the country from this disease, and states that the loss amounts to £1,000,000 a year, or a cost of a penny a ton on coal. This ia one way of .•fating the effects of disease; but what about the human loss involved, and the number of men rendered permanently or temporarily incapacitated for work by it, and the amount of suffering experienced by men who (with the disease already in them) go on working for their livelihood?” —London Typographical Journal, February, 1920.

A Woman’s Place. —Tho most common, end to those who offer them the most convincing, answers to all the claims of women to equality with men at the ballot 'ikjx are, "A woman’s place is in her home.” ‘‘Phc lias enough to do if she looks after her home and her children.” “Her place is at the fireside.” The person advancing these ideas is very much in the position of the man riding in the railroad car with his back to the engine—he never sees anything until he has passer! it, and cannot see anything in tho direction in which he is travelling. And yet it is because it is true that a woman’s interest gtill centres in the family that she is forced to take a position in public a (Taira in order to protect herself and her children. The changes in home life and home conditions and industries caused hy the industrial revolution of the past 150 years have brought new problems into existence, or rather brought old problems into a new aspect. The problems that confronted the wife and mother in the past were the same that confront her to-day, but the solutions then were simple, as the life most people lived was a simple life. Our modern social and industrial processes, are so complex and so different from the old life of a century or more ago that new methods must be evolved to fit the new conditions. You cannot put new wine into old bottles. The old social and political order cannot contain the new wine of the modern

industrial and commercial system in the midst of which we find ourselves. Old customs are giving way to new customs . Old habits of thought are being displaced by new ones. Old theories arc h® - ing discarded and science and invention have transformed our whole social fabric. The old simple life has gone. The ivtw complicated life has taken its place. The woman, her children, and her home have all been involved in the change. To understand how vast has been that change, what enured it, and what wonien can and must do to secure for herself and the race the greatest benefit front the changQ, the past must be reviewed and the present understood, and then woman with her newlyfound power will surely (al:e her place in the ranks wi hj those seek.im to c- 1 s :]oil tv better and higher civilisation then mankind has ever known. —Robert H. Howe.