Trades and the Workers

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 700, 27 June 1929, Page 6

Trades and the Workers

By

“ARBITER"

Labours Part Labour’s Parliamentary leader, Mx, H. E. Holland, was reported during the week to be still unwell, and movingabout with difficulty among the refugees on the West Coast. This is extremely unfortunate, as Mr. Holland is keen to get on with the Parliamentary job. It is likely that, although the Labour group in the House will afford Sir Joseph Ward and his colleagues adequate opportunity of bringing in constructive legislation, the party will press for certain things which embrace fundamental principles in Labour's platform. Much of the attack, however. will this year be in the hands of the Official Opposition, the Reform Party, upon whose leader many eyes will he trained to see whether he will force the hand of members for a noconfidence motion on the Address-in-Reply debate. * Uses of the Court The Federal Government in the Com- I monwealth is tacking its colours to the | mast on the question of abolishing the Arbitration Court. The Court in New Zealand, too, might need an overhaul if the Industrial Conference, which was started a year ago, is gone ahead with by the United Government. It is true that a great many decisions lately have gone against the workers, and that strong: cases have been presented for rises in wages and better conditions, but the worker here would not welcome the day that the Court was abolished in New Zealand, were such a contingency to arise. Under present conditions bargaining on the open market probably would reveal some of our minimum wage earners to be on a very good thing as they' stand. City Distress The exceptional cold snap has driven many of Auckland’s down-and-outs into the sheltering arms of the charitable societies throughout the city. Hot soup and beverages, and the moderate allowances for groceries- and other necessities are being welcomed by those who, when the fine weather prevailed, were able to exist with greater comfort. and for longer periods without food. The Finance Committee of the City Council is investigating the possibilities of spending the £25,000 subsidy offered by tnye Government for relief

; work. bur. as a Labour member of the i council disclosed the other evening, this Government is not so generous as its predecessor, which permitted some allowance for material. The United Government is rigidly adhering to its policy of wages only in the conditions of subsidy. - Auckland, then, is almost as far off ai solution of its distress problem as e^rer. Tramways Dispute The Auckland Transport Board has issuled an ultimatum to the Tramways Unic*n asking for the expunging of a certain resolution passed at a recent meeting bearing upon the Massick case. Alassiek was dismissed from the service because he would not comply with the compulsory provisions of his job. one of which was to join the sick and naedical fund in the social club. This caste never should been taken before tttie hppeal board in the first place by ilie union. The appellant now realises that he was badly advised. Arbitrary action will not get the union very far in this question now that the Tmnsport Board has accepted its challenge. Strategic handling in the first place would have been better than dictatorial resolutions. However, the mass meetings of the union which are to be held on Sunday will decide—so far as the ttaiion only is concerned—how far the privileges of free citizenship and free action are enjoyed by members of the tramways undertaking, even though they be members of the union. * * * Provisions on the Dole The payment of doles to the out-of-work coal miners in Australia has been a big feature of the present trouble. Upon the largest scale of payment a family of eight—a man, his wife and six children or more—is entitled to draw £1 10s 7d for a week’s supplies as fiollow: —Thirteen loaves of bread, 91b of meat, 41b of flour, 16oz of tea, 71b of sugar, 41b of wheatmeal, 60oz of jam, 4oz of condensed milk, 2oz of synsp. 21b of butter, 21b of sago, and a bar of soap. A married miner with four or five children receives Scale E. This gives him groceries to a total value of £ 1 6s lOd a week. He gets 10» loaves of bread, 91b of meat, 41b of flour, and 16oz of tea. A reduction, however, is

£l lk .; 9? ods that make U p *M LI 2s od go to the married J' alue of two or three children. He i™* 41 nine loaves of bread. Rib l aUo *W nt itour. ! 2oz of tea, 41b „f m,ai . Hh of wheatmeal. 4502 of ?,* u * ar - Mb milk. 2oz ot syrup. 1 Jib Saz of of saao, and a bar of soap,

ances of goods to a married mar, one child reach a value of 16week, and that of a man and hissa 4 IUS 7 id. Such a childless counleY ceive four loaves of bread 41b of Voz of tea. 21b of sugar. lib of who meal, 240 z of jam, Jib of butter half a bar of soap. To the singled on Scale A is given goods vlnht Sid a week. It is a significant fact that m. have shown a keenness to have « soap on the list changed for a f pipesful of tobacco. One man . known to have boiled his tea twice ~ !l eke out his supply, and to have little tobacco substituted. Relief i' the Miners’ Federation of 15s a wjt with a 3s increase for each ckikLaL bars a man from receiving the deil should the amount of union relief ceed £2 10s a fortnight. Probabh-Sl record union relief is being paid tc miner who lias 11 children, eight »♦ whom are under 14 years of ace’ '