The Stratford Evening Post. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER. MONDAY, JANUARY 6, 1913. BRITISH WORKERS’ WAGES.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXV, Issue 8, 6 January 1913, Page 4

The Stratford Evening Post. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER. MONDAY, JANUARY 6, 1913. BRITISH WORKERS’ WAGES.

The annual report of the British Board of Trade Labour Department, recently issued, dealing with the changes in the rate of wages, states that the slight upward movement in wages which began in 1910 was maintained on the whole during 1911, and the general level at the end of the year was higher than at the end of any year since 1893, except 1907 and 1908. Nevertheless, the upward movement was not very marked, and it is shown that the increase in wages obtained by the transport group of trades—the seamen, dock labourers, carters, and others—after the 1911 strikes, formed the biggest part of the general advance. The aggregate increase to the transport men is not fully known, complete statistics not being available, but it was much more than the £18,500 weekly to 800,000 work people which represented the increase in all other industries. The report. makes it clear that the changes recorded, are actual changes in the rates of wages; and are exclusive of changes duo to alterations in the proportions which the higher and lower paid classes of men bear to each other, changes due to regular increments in accordance with scale “seasonal'’ changes as in the building trade, and so forth. JAPANESE COMMERCIAL MORALITY. The London correspondent of the ‘Manchester Guardian’ states that he recently had a conversation with Mr. Voshio Maikino on commercial dishonesty in Japan, a subject raised by the recent accounts of the increase of forgery in Tokio. Mr. Maikino said that when a younger man he affected surprise when anyone mentioned the

bad faith of the Japanese merchant.| Now be believed it was true patriotism to represent that individual in his true colours in all parts of the world. He knew a trader in Austra l,i who had recently terminated a longstanding business with a Japanese export house, preferring to commission a Chinese merchant to go to Japan lon him. This trade was worth £-10,000 a; year. Ho had -heard oi merchants hr England doing the same thing, and he hoped that the lessons of these losses: would be learned. Meanwhile foreign traders would not feel bitter if they would remember for how very short a time merchandising bad been held in the least respect in Japan. I util the revolution ending ISO), merchants were grouped with peasants as the low est class—hynksho. Even millionaire merchants paid but a few shillings yearly in total taxation when they occupied little land, taxation being on the land basis only. Ignored, despised, cut off from all hop© of recognition, merchants developed through centuries a rapacity not to be tamed in one generation under healthy conditions. The razing of the caste walls, added Mr. Markino, opened up ta young Japan the view of the world at its feet—a delirioiM prospect. Not r messenger hoy who did not hop* to become a Minister by rather rapid

steps. Thus the impatience of drudgery, the forgery, and other acquisitive offences.

CORRUPTION IN RUSSIA.

When the last mails left a couple ni hundred persons were being tried ii Moscow for illegally practising dentistry. Of course, it is a stupendous calamity to fall into the hands of r bad dentist. The paternal Russia) Government recognised this fact i) the year 1900, and, a correspond™: writes, a law was made forbidding per sons to put up brass plates on tnen doors and practise dentistry unles' they had duly qualified. This was ai excellent arrangement, but these regulations merely opened a path t< fortune for minor officials, they solecertificates to persons who had n< right whatever to possess them fot sums ranging from £25 fio £IOO. Manx of their clients were Jews who hac not the slightest intention of practis ing dentistry, but did desire to acquire the official title of dentist in older to have the right of living outside the Jewish pale. The police sud denly awoke, and pounced on buyer; and sellers of certificates, and ove two hundred of them were arraignec before the Moscow Court.

INTOLERABLE BEHAVIOUR.

The utterly ridiculous and quite un-called-for action on the part of tin firemen of the steamer Maori, who professing to bo seriously annoyed ai an erroneous and very trivial message appearing in the newspapers, declined to take the ferry steamer south on Friday night, is an object lesson for the people of New Zealand. “One plausible and loquacious individual in the engine room of a ship can cause as much mischief as a plague rat in a hold. A steamer is a little floating world, and a grievance grows quicker and larger aboard ship than on any other spot under the firmament,” says the ‘N.Z. Times,’ a journal whoso undoubted sympathies lie with labour, and after discussing the folly of the whole thing, concludes; “The men have been paid off, and the Maori will lie idle until another crew can be obtained. In taking this action the firemen and trimmers have acted against the advice of their chief executive officer, and, no doubt, to r

large extent, against their own better judgment. They have allowed them selves to he fooled into an impossible attitude. Unluckily, the principal effect of this incident will be to prejudice the cause of organised labour h the eyes of the great body of disor ganised labour of which this community is composed. Even Mr. Young with all his loyalty and ingenuity, will fine! it hard to make out a case foi men who deliberately flout public opinion in this way. Which brings us back to the original point, that one plaus ible and loquacious individual in the engine room of a ship can cause as much mischief as a plague rat in r. hold.” The ‘Dominion’ scathingly deals with the incident and condemns the shipping companies, who, it says have, “for the most part, shown weakness and timidity hi handling the position, and by their weakness have encouraged the men in their insolent disregard of their obligations.

The truth is that the men have been so humoured and given in to that they imagine they can .do practically as they please, regardless of the public or anyone else. They have been go ing from bad to worse, and whatever public sympathy may have been felt for them must he alienated by their quite intolerable behaviour.”