Trades and the Workers

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 416, 26 July 1928, Page 13

Trades and the Workers

By ‘

“ARBITER”

UNION MEETING DATES

Thursday, July 26 (to-night) Plumbers’ Educational Thursday, July 26 (to-night) Women s Branch, Labour Party Saturday, July 2S Typographical Monday, July JO Bricklavers Monday, July 30 W.E.A.

Mr. W. Miller, secretary of the Storemen, is away at Napier and Wellington on federation business. He will return in a week’s time. Mr. A. H. Dixon, secretary of the Furniture Workers, leaves to-day for Gisborne, to effect organisation work for the union. Pie will be away for about a week. . * * The Arbitration Court, which commenced its Auckland session on Monday, has made llxtures to keep it occupied till August 3. The Court will sit at Hamilton on August 7. The list, which is a. heavy one, includes 35 compensation cases, as well as a large number of apprenticeship questions. » * * A Back-hander The members of the Arbitration Court must have felt flattered on Tuesday. An advocate was endeavouring to clarify his points, and in trying to convince the experts in the trade, said: “If the members of the Court can see tlie position, I fail to understand why the layman cannot see it.” This back-handed compliment was appreciated by Mr. Justice Fraser and his associates on the Bench. * * * Parliament Talks This is what Mr. E. J. Howard, Labour M.P. for Christchurch South, says of last week in Parliament: “Tlie week in Parliament has not been of a very useful character. True, a certain number of Bills have appeared on the order paper, but the actual work done has not added to the comfort or happiness of the people. Someone said recently that Parliament did no harm so long as they talked. Well, this past week they Just talked.” Some said it was a week of tangible accomplishment! * * * “ Gesture?” The establishment of a soup kitchen in Invercargill was described by a Southern business man as “a Labour Party gesture.” On the first day 70 people were fed —40 of them children (so a message said). One thing “Arbiter” has noticed: “The man in touch with the workers’ hardships usually knows most about them. If a dozen families were hard up, and a soup kitchen fulfilled their requirements, would not the institution be justified? Of course, it would! * * * Defaulting Husbands In its recent recommendations to the Government, the joint committee of employers and workers on the National Industrial Conference suggested the adoption by this country of a scheme of workers’ compensation on the lines of the Act now operating in Ontario. The Ontario Act was altered during the re%ent session of the State Parliament, and a wise provision inserted insisting that in cases wherein a workman deserts liis family or fails to provide adequately for them so that an order of the Court is issued for support or alimony, the compensation payments in whole or in part may be diverted for the benefit of the wife and children. It is interesting that during April this year (the latest returns available) the Ontario Workmen’s Compensation Board handled 5,521 accidents, of which 27 were fatal. This shows a decrease from the previous month when there were 5,711 accidents, including 26 fatalities. The total benefits awarded for April reached 548,096 dollars, of which 89,128 dollars were for medical assistance. This payment is a marked decline from March, when 764,263 dollars were awarded, including 108,020 dollars for medical aid. * * * The Stop Gap It is anticipated by some lobbyists in Parliament that the Conciliation and Arbitration Act will not be reviewed during this session on account of the short pre-election fighting time given to members, and the suggestion is made that the Government proposes to introduce another brief amendment of the main Act, extending the “stopgap” provisions of last session’s legislation so that existing awards connected with the farming and allied industries shall not be varied or ex-

teuded, and that no new awards shall be made prior to September 1, 1929. This arrangement is not altogether palatable to many of the farmers’ representatives in the House, as they point out that restrictions on labour conditions add to working costs, not only on farm products, which have to be prepared for export, but on the requirements for carrying on the primary industry. Meanwhile, representatives of the Agricultural Workers’ Union have commenced an active campaign in the North Island with the object of organising the labour specifically mentioned in the short amending Act of last session. So much for the recommendations of the Industrial Conference while an election campaign is on! * * * Pay for Workless There does not appear to be much hope for a scheme of unemployment insurance—this year at any rate. 'it is an indication that the Government recognises the seriousness of the situation, however, when they allowed Mr. P. Fraser to get the second reading of his Bill through and have the position discussed. In explaining his Bill in Parliament last week, Mr. Fraser made it clear that he did not claim that his proposal was perfect, but it was based on the experience of the world. The main feature of the Bill was not the payment of a contribution to the fund but the setting up of a board to provide useful work, so that the supply of work would be commensurate with the supply of labour available. To benefit by the scheme workers must have been in the country for six months and unemployed for seven days. The amounts of payments to be made were not stated in the Bill, because they had little experience to guide them, and they believed they could produce a better scheme than Queensland, where an unemployment insurance fund had been operating for a number of years. Certainly Mr. Fraser is on the right line, and the establishment of an experimental unemployment board would not cost a great deal. * * * Inadequate Increase The Arbitration Court will not decide the merits of the application of painter employers for a reduction in apprentices’ wages till near the end of next month. Evidence has been heard in Christchurch—where the move is most enthusiastic Wellington, Dunedin, and Auckland, and Wanganui has yet to be covered. During the hearing of the case in Auckland, figures were quoted to show that far from the painters’ apprentices being overpaid, the boys in other trades were underpaid. They are in fact getting just a 50 per cent, increase on pre-war rates, instead of a 60 per cent, increase as provided for in the general proclamation of the court on wage standards. Thus a boy who got 10s a week for first year in 1914 should get 16s (he gets 15s); second year youths should have risen from 15s to 24s (they get £1), those in tlio third year would have got 32s instead of 25s in 1914, but they get only 27s 6d. And so on; the fourth year boy should have risen from 25s to 40s and 48s and the fifth year lads from 35s and 40s, to 56s and 645. To drag the plumbers back to the 50 per cent, level would therefore not be quite the fair thing. • * * Less Men Wanted When the- question of private importation of petrol supplies was broached by Mr. A. Rosser at the Auckland A.A.A. recently his suggestion was not greeted with wild enthusiasm and throwing up of hats. Petrol is a commodity, however, which could well come down in price, particularly in view of the tremendous reduction in overhead costs. The bulk method of petrol transport lias done much toward unemployment in this country for, whereas over 100 men would at one time be occupied in the unloading of a ship carrying case oil. four men are now occupied in working a huge pump which takes the fuel frt)m the ship. It is interesting to note that petrol costs 71d a gallon (American measure) in the U.S.A., Is 2d an Imperial gallon in England, and 2s Id in New Zealand, so the worker gets it in the neck on the one hand and the consumer suffers on the other.