Trades and the Workers

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 327, 12 April 1928, Page 11

Trades and the Workers

By

"ARBITER"

UNION ■ MEETINGS

Waiting for Jobs The general labourers, who are still feeling badly the pinch of unemployment, are waiting for the announcement of a tender for the new Auckland railway station, believing that work will be procurable for a fairly large number once the contractor gets his tools on the spot and the job gets under way. The Easter Conference The big conference of the Labour Party is on at Wellington. Most of the heads of tlie movement from this city are in the capital watching the interests of their unions and also assisting in forwarding ti e general political aims of the party. As this is election year, the conference will have more than usual import, and by the time the delegates get through the bigagenda paper prepared for them, much spade work for the big fight in December should have been accomplished. The deliberations are expected to last about a. week. Timber Mill Slack The dismissal of a number of men from the State timber mill at Frankton, and the general slackness in the work there, has imbued’ the men with the fear that the premises might be closed down and an effort made by the Government to sell the mill. Quite-a number of men have been thrown on the road, and as they are aware of the position in Auckland, they have remained in their district and swelled the workless army -there. If the mill has to close down —and it, is hoped this will be avoided—approximately 200 men will be affected. * * * Unemployment Insurance A big meeting of general labourers was held under the auspices of the General Labourers’ Union toward the end of last week to consider the question of unemployment insurance. Mr. W. J. Jordan, M.P. for Manukau, explained the principles embodied in Mr. P. Fraser’s Unemployment Insurance Bill, and assured the men that further attempts would be made to induce the Government to adopt it—even in modified form. The meeting unanimously endorsed the principle of unemployment insurance, and pledged their support to any endeavour that might be made to secure its passage into law * * * How Much It Costs It is pleasing- to read the Government Statistician’s figures relating to the cost of living index, which shows a gratifying steadying-up in rents. Since the pre-war review rents rose consistently, but during the past few months a drop of a few points per cent, has

been recorded. However indirectly this will affect the wage-earner wno is paying big: rents in the suburbs of Auckland and in other centres of the Dominion, it denotes a tendency toward reduction which, taken in harmony with the general cost of living index, must make a general impression. It is pointed out by the statistician that approximately £1 12s 3d is required now to buy what could be bought for £1 in 1914. There is consolation for the Auckland wage-earner in the fact that the cost of living in Wellington is highest, Auckland, Christchurch and Dunedin following in that order. Conference Does Good Fruitful results are reported following the conference which the employers and men in the engineering trades held in Auckland a month or so ago in an endeavour to reach common ground on basic principles of working conditions. The secretary of the Amalgamated Engineers’ Union, Mr. R. F. Barter, gives the assurance mat relations between the bosses and the union are excellent, and the employers are responding admirably to the request to apply through the union for. men. In consequence of this being done an improvement in the outlook in the trade is manifest, although there is a long way to go yet before normality is reached in the market for men. The second conference, which is to be held in Christchurch in May. should be productive of further good result. * • * New Award Sought Now that the Arbitration Court has turned down the request of the Timber

Workers for a Dominion award, an application for a review of the Auckland district award has been filed by the , employers, and they will meet the men ' in Conciliation Council in about a week's time to discuss the situation. I The employers ask for a variation in ' conditions and a slight decrease in wages (optimistic bosses b while the men have filed counter-claims similar ' to the claims they Presented in tht ir request for a Dominion award recently. i It is possible that the question will have to be referred to the Arbitration | Court it no agreement is made between the parties before the Conciliation | Commissioner. Sharing the Depression Evidence has been p.'odueed in the ; latest report of the Government {Statistician to show that the printing and publishing trade has shared the vicissitudes of the recent industrial depression, although it is noted that there has been only one bankruptcy of a printer working on his own account during the past three years, and that in 1926, when the depression was at its height. In the year 1925-26 the number of establishments in the printing '< and publishing industry was 525. and in the following year 344. This increase in establishments was accompanied by an increase in the labour and capital employed in the industry, although the relative increase in the salaries paid (7 per cent.! was not commensurate with the number of men engaged. This resulted in a fall in the average salary or wage from £224.47 a person in 1925-26 to € 227.54 in the following year. Liquor and Politics A move has been made in Austra- ! lian Labour circles to exclude from ; party discussions questions of liquor j and licensing. The Easter Conference i of the A.L.P. has before it a resolu- ! tion carried at the Metropolitan Conference that the United Licensed Victuallers’ Association, or the Residential Hotelkeepers’ Association be excluded from membership of tile A.L.P. The New Zealand Conference, also, is dealing with licensing questions, but the proposals are in the opposite direction. “Arbiter” cannot help hoping that Labour in New Zealand will keep liquor discussions out of its politics. Surely the lesson which they learn from observation of the present Reform Party difference should be sufficiently conclusive upon the dangers of the subject.

Thursday. April li' (to-ni.ght) .. .. Friday, April 13 • • Briekworkers Saturday, April 14 Fell menders Monday, April 16 Monday, April 16 -• Butchers Monday, April 1G Tuesday, April 17 \\ ednesday, April IS Wednesday, April 2 3 Wednesday, April 18