Trades and the Workers

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 694, 20 June 1929, Page 6

Trades and the Workers

B*V'

"ARBITER"

MEEXFING DATES Thursday, June 20 (tonight) . - -v *• * Alliance of Labour Thursday, June 20 (tonight) . . y Plumbers’ Educational Thursday, June 20 (tonight) .. . Boilermakers Thursday, June 20 (tonight) L Related Printing Trades Saturday, June 22 .. .. .. .. .. Fellmongers Monday, June 24 y. Painters Monday, June 24 Bricklayers Tuesday, June 25 • • A. S. Engineers Tuesday, June 25 Stonemasons Wednesday, June 26 i--- .. .. Carpenters

Leaving Permanent Jobs In, a letter to the Prime Minister recently the Auckland Chamber of Commerce complained that men -were leaving steady permanent jobs to go on to relief work at the Government rates of pay. This is a terrible indictment upon the jobs the men leave, and the industries represented by them. Waiting In Queues Advertisements for youths and girls for positions in the city are still attracting queues of 30, 40 and in cases well over 50, applicants. Tl/e specification “youth” and “girl” does not deter older people trying their luck in the queue. A jeweller who advertised for a girl, and a tyre company that wanted a youth, were two examples this week.

Engineers’ Dispute

The dates for hearing the engineers’ application for a comprehensive award have been arranged for Wednesday 1 and Friday of next week, June 26 and !28 respectively. The case is being | taken at Christchurch, where the secretary, Mr. R. F. Barter, of Auckland, now is. • * * Strike Levies A meeting of trade union officials called for last week to consider the question of a strike levy for Australian

\\vprkers out on strike did not secure a qaiorum. fcVo much for their Australian “comraVOes,” who —rightly so, when things hen 1 *? are bad—have been left to work out own salvation. *•* * * Prize Enthusiasm An */fcuckland trade union secretary called* it meeting of his union recently to consider proposals for a new award. There v v ' tere 72 members on the book, and a Personal canvass secured the assurance* that they would be there. One member displayed sufficient enthusiasm ;to turn up. “ JJnited” Labour 1 A great deal was said during the week about fc&e carpenters deciding to cancel their with the Labour Party, as represented by the Auckland L.R.C. In view of the* dissatisfaction among other unions, aVTscf the state of things existing in trade* unionism in Auckland s.s related to the* 3U.R.C., it is not surprising. It has been apparent that things there not the smoothest nor the most efficient working in the world. This evident by the manner in which tliei trade unions are distributed all over t,lVe- city, instead of being consolidated ati five Trades Hall, which is the virtual lt,ctme of industrial Labour in this city. Politics have interfered too much with industry in the liaboiir movement, and this element' threatens to kill—at least, /assist .in killing—the foundation of union progress. The reasons for the H.R.C. leaving the Trades Hall and establishing itself in Symonds Street and La2v>r in the Foresters’ Buildings, do .n*} t speak well for the guiding factors** in this representation committee, nor* for the relation it bears to the Trails Hall trustees. The trustees have long sinceA given the assurance that every trade union in Auckland could be comfortably accommodated at the Trades Hal V but the unions, frequently for reasons which do not show themselves in a favourable light, have left one by ope, and left the trustees to struggle through with the finances. Fortunately, this finance is goitiyr well, not with the assistance of, but in spite of, some of the other unions. It is clear that a great deal will be' said in the comparatively near future> about the manner in which the factions of labour have almost forgotten that there ever was a word “unity.” In The Home Shipyards In many directions trade is brightening in the Untited Kingdom. One instance is the shipbuilding, which, although not by any means up to a continuous contract degree, shows an improvement.