Trades and the Workers

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 524, 29 November 1928, Page 6

Trades and the Workers

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" M ARBITER "

UNION MEETING DATES

Thursday, November 2S (To-night) .. Plumbers* Educational Thursday, November 28 (To-night) .. Hotel Workers Thursday, November 2S (To-night) Tramway Employees Monday, December 3 Drivers j Monday, December 3 Shipwrights Tuesday, December 4 Freezing Workers Wednesday, December 5 Tramway Employees

Timber Mill Fire About 40 timber workers were thrown out of work by the destruction by tiro last week of the timber mill at Mokai. Hopes are entertained that most of them will be taken on by the other mill there, which is expected to work the full round of the clock to j keep the output up to standard. A j tew of the single men might have to go. In the timber-milling districts in the country things are no better, and no bright spot is yet discernible through the unemployment cloud. * * * Freezing Prospects No definite date has been assigned for the absorption of freezing workers on the killing season. Usually tlie season commences on a definite date, and the great majority of the men begin work at that time. This year, however, the process appears to be one of gradual absorption, a fair number of the men already having been taken on. About 700 are employed in the Auckland district all told, and approxii mately half of them are already in work By the second week in December the majority of the others should have jobs, although the companies have not yet revealed the starting date. A Shake-up is Due | The Trades Hall is as silent as a I morgue. Nothing appears to be moving in union circles, and those who have big unemployment figures on their books are still waiting for something to turn up to get their men into jobs. Trade unionism in New Zealand is at a low ebb indeed, and, as far as “Arbiter” can judge from a study of methods in Auckland, there is little appearing to encourage, a revival of interest in the workers’ cause. Persistent drift into stagnation has been evidenced for some time, and because economic conditions have been against them, members believe their unions represent nothing but a waste of money and effort. They cannot see that organisation, and alone, will save them from their present position—if they want to be saved. A big shaking up is due in trad© unionism in this country—and it must not be confined entirely to the rank and file. Effective organisation must begin at the top. * * * What Will Happen? After licking their wounds at Labour’s removal from the position of Official Opposition in Parliament, supporters of the Labour movement in Auckland have begun to look to the future with a ray of hope. It is believed that, in an endeavour to execute at least some of the hustings promised, Sir Joseph Ward —providing always that he becomes Prime Minister—will formulate a scheme for the relief of unemployment. Tlie workers believe —and with a measure of justice —that a bold scheme is necessary to be comprehensive, and the more sensible of them are prepared to take work in the country until things settle in tlie urban areas. At present the cities are literally infested by casual one-day workers, and until that congestion is relieved by sound development further afield, no relief may bo expected for tlie general stress. One thing the Government must remember, however: There can be no further immigration until the country really needs men to carry through its economic development. * * * Nothing Done Yet Very little progress has been made toward executing the recommendations of the Timber-grading Committee, which fixed a grading list for New Zealand woods. It was expected by those in this stagnant industry that before this some tangible result would have been achieved in the direction of using more local timbers for housebuilding and general purposes. Negotiations are progressing between the Government and the Auckland City Council for easing up the city by-laws to allow woods containing certain saps to be used for houses, but so far nothing has been done. It is believed by Mr. E. J. Phelan, secretary of tlie Timber Workers* Union that if

the recommendations of the committee were adopted, approximately 15 per cent, more of the log could be milled, while if the by-laws governing the use of New Zealand timber were made universal throughout the Dominion tlie industry would profit immediately and materially. “If the authorities cut out all imported timbers to-morrow, with the exception of the long-length Oregon, there would be no trouble whatever, and we would go far toward reinstating the industry,** he said. “For every 100 feet of timber imported,-'one man goes out of work for one day.” * * * Depends on Charity Ail old-age pension law that depends upon the good will of citizens, is called “remarkable legislation” by the United States Bureau of Labour Statistics. A special commission in Massachusetts recommended a State-sup-ported and administered old age pension system, out this duty of the State toward aged and dependent citizens was ignored by the Legislature. A minority report by members of the commission was favoured. The Act as passed makes no provision for State contributions. Funds are to be drawn from a “public bequest fund,” composed of any gifts which may be received from publicspirited citizens. No pensions or allowances may be paid until this fund reaches 500,000 dollars. If there are no “public-spirited citizens’* there are no pensions. Communist Outcasts The Communist authorities in Moscow are turning tlie tables on some of the party outcasts. The resolutions of the Congress of the Comintern include a curt rejection of appeals b. Trotzky, Radek, Sapronoff, and tlie chief leaders of the Opposition in the German party, Masloff and Ruth Fischer, for their reinstatement in tlie Communist ranks. The text of Trotzky’s appeal is not published, the Congress expressing the opinion that “it is superfluous to discuss the counter-revolu-tionary political content >f the Trotzkist platform with the enemies of the Communist International,” and approving “the last measures taken in relation to Opposition leaders” as dictated by revolutionary necessity. ♦ * * Mussolini’s Rule Employers in the vicinity of Turin, Italy, object to Mussolini’s rule that they must apply to the Fascisti labour bureaux when seeking workers. Mussolini orders that members of the Fascist party and Fascist unions be given preference in employment. This rule is intended to drive workers into the Fascist unions. When Communists were in control, they had the same rule that Mussolini now enforces. The employers upheld the Fascist dictator in the hope that this rule would be abolished, but they* find no difference between the two dictators. The Fascist unions are officered by Government appointees. Wages are set by law, and it is a criminal offence for workers to strike. * * # Girls Give It Up Twenty-four girls from colleges and universities in America were confident they could go to Chicago, which the majority had never visited, and make tlieir own living. They were to have no letters of introduction. They pooled their earnings, and after the six weeks it was found that tho average income for each girl after expenses were paid was 5.03 dollars, or less than S 3 cents a week. Two girls joined unions to get jobs in a shoe factory. Two others were compelled to sign pledges not to join a union before they were given employment. One girl who teaches economics in a university secured a job making lamp shades. She was paid 3.50 dollars a week. Other jobs were nesting ice cream pails, feeding envelope machines, icing candies arid cakes in a factory, feeding liog hair to a machine and carding it for upholstery, gumming and pasting paper boxes, assembling movie cameras, bindery work, spraying paint on ash trays, laundry work, candling eggs in the stockyards, packing tobacco, making aprons and assembling locks.