The Labour World.

Southland Times, Issue 18847, 12 June 1920, Page 10

The Labour World.

(Conducted by D. Scott.) In the Southland Times of June 10. a long list of orders and decorations is given. Looking at this subject from the democratic point of view a Home paper says;—Sometimes we think it would be a good thing if democracy would institute some rank of nobility to be conferred by democracy itself, and for the life of the recipient, upon those who do a service to the great mass of the people. If such an order were established it would without doubt be conferred on Mr Ernest Beviu in recognition of his services to the dockers; Mr Bob Smillie, in recognition of his services to the miners. When we are told by a member of the Cecil family that the working classes are not cut out for the diplomatic service, and told by Mr Churchill that Labour is not fit to govern, we think of the plain common sense of Mr Beviu Smillie before the Comnusions which nave dealt with the claims of the dockers and the miners. Common-sense docs i! --commonsense and a determination not to be dazzled by the resplendent glory that surrounds a bank-book. At the (V;d t’onur.ission we had u wonderfully skilled witne-s making strong statement.- contrary to the claims of the miner-. His ('valence duly impressed the Commission, iill. when it. was

finished. Mr Smillie asked : Have you any authoritative figures to hear out the .-l;nament you have made: The answer had to be “No!” and the whole evidence the witness went for nought. I hen timre 'vaMr Beviu. arrayed against the whole ■. -r the financial intere-ts concerned in keeping the wages of the docker- down, putting torwhole of hi- learned, wealthy opponenls literally into a cocked hat ami winning out, as the miners won out. in the end.

W.EA. - A very surest ivc article in the London Tin:o> cdrppicmcrG dr.diner '.rith the Fcirnre of economics and du.-mrss pm.-> forward the argument that u rlu* Im-nrv’-’i Van would endeavour to yet a knowledge of the condition.- rh;G leu i:p r hc tior. of trades unions word I find to: t the business man of the prc'unr is suffering from the shortcoming of I::-- u;ra':diAthcr>, due TO the policy adopted i*y then, when dealing with the worker.-. .A -pli'iidid chance is now mven to Lccure tins inmrIllation in the elms in Economics on I-ri-day nights at 7,-U) in the Ic’h.mcal >ch r ud.

Broken Hill Strike,-Mr U. Semple has been appointed to tour .New /.calami ou behalf of the Broken lid! miners who are out ou strike. He will addre-'s a public meeting here on Sunday night. Ihe following are the conditions asked for;- - A six boor hank to bank. Because the unheaHy nature of the wont oemanus it. Their claim i- that it would be better to shorten the working nay titan shorten their lives.

Five days a week, because it i- essential for them to have two days in every week

on the surface in the fresh air and sunshine. our. of these subterranean hells, in order to bmld up the resisting power of their constitutions for the other live days work.

The abolition of night shut between the hours of Id p.m. midnight and S a.m. for the same purpose. The abolition of the contract system, because speeding up and overstr bin under contract wears out the miner and weakens his resisting power to the disease incidental to the mining industry in Broken Hill. Compensation on the basis of full pay for time lost, as a result of accident or occupational disease, because any industry should pay adequately tor tin* human wrecks it, creates, or clo.-e down, _ bln' mines produce dividends at the rate ot ow million five hundred pounds a year, and. therefore, eoidd well afford os grant the above reforms. The percentage ou disease and accident in the Book; n 11.11 mines is the highest in Australasia, if lot m the world. The following i- a sarniih' token from the Royal Comuiissi'm ot Idll. ihe South Mine at Broken ildi employ.- I< MPut men. and has on the average got) accidents every six months, further, m a period covering I'i month.-, mi*' miner in every three working in the Barrier mines was injured. This is to say nothing of tie 1 thousands that are stricken d'-wri with miners' phthisis, pneumonia and lead poisoning. It is recorded that as many as 40 fits; occurred daily in Broken Hid. tine .to lead poisoning.

Industry in Russia. —Dealing wit hj the organisation of industry iu Rus-aa. Mr W T. Goode says in his i ,ook "Bolshevism a! Work,” that he interviewed Mihutui. who is head of the department that cunt rols the 3000 nationalised plant-, equal to Oil per cent of the full production, ot the country. The method of controlling the different industries was explained. Il is that tier head of every factory is college of management of from three to five person.-, a mixture of workers and speeiahsts. who are elected by the workers in i ire industry. It is claimed that by ihis -y-teiu th.- workers become interested in llear work, as. they are personally conscious of the part they play in the efficiency of Ihe taetory. Mr Goode then visited Serpukhoff. a I own where there are large textile null- employing in normal tunes 1.>,000 people and at present employing tiOOO. Among its mill managers are tut. a from Lanex'hire and on the general din ctorate chosen by the workmen are two former directors, a director and the technical ni;mag''r, tle-ir election being an evidence ot the eonlidenre they had generated in their workmen. The technical manager vx- quite frank. lie paid that they had had a bad time for a «itart, as a gor'd many of the workmen thought that the revii'in'am gale than the right, to do as they liked. me output went down 40 per cent and chaos reigned, but with experience and by changing the powers of the various committee- improved con-

ditions of things had come about. Each, mill had its own workman.’- commit te - -, which is elected. This district Iris II cotton mills, which are organised, into a State Trust, controlling .’2.00(1 workers. The trust, has a directing '■ommi t tee ot tunc members. three appointed by th" workmen, three, by the union- and three by the local branch ot the .supreme ( outn'tl of .m----tioual Economic-, l! control- the financial arrangement- xud till estimates must be put before it six month- in advance. It also controls the raw material, orders, etc. A delegate from the Trust attends all meeting? of the unions, having a vote in the proceedings. This help- to eliminate a great deal of friction. The workmen’s committee has its hands full with labour discipline, observation of rule- and laws, matters affecting the health, housing ami culture of the worker-. They .•■wined, Mr Goode says, highly intelligent and proud of their position. Mr (mode adds: My frank discussion with tne management, the Englishmen and the committee-, left, the impression that this huge concern was being managed successfully on the Soviet Committee system and that tn a time of great difficulty. The system allows co operation in industry between mills;, prevents friction between unions and management anti stimulates the worker-. From Oxford. —The New Light i.s beginning to penetrate even the mind- of professors. Thus Professor Goddy. of Oxiord, in a lucid interval; “Science is an actual v.orkSocialism, communistic in inhei it.tncc, and communistic in the spirit of its application. The ideals for which Labour stands are the only ones under which the further great gifts of science can safely ba entrusted to the world. Under our present order, life, in the next war. could he wiped ’off the globe with science. Common ownership of the acquisitions of science is the only path of progress and the only way in which the sum total of human happiness can be augmented.” Coming from Oxford this is significant of much. The Banks. —It is labour power that keeps us alive, not money; money of itself is nothing, but it nevertheless, fulfils a convenient purpose inasmuch as it is accepted as tho legitimate and recognised medium in the exchange of goods and labour power generally. As it exists solely by the sanction of the Government, the currency of the country should belong to the nation, and not to a few private bankers. All existing banks carry on business ou the strength of a charter granted by

Government, and they are only allowed to issue bank notes by the permission of the Government and the. credit of every one of these bunks is dependent upon the nations stability. This means that private banks today use what is, in reality, State currency, based on the nation’s credit, for the benefit of private individuals.