LABOUR TROUBLES.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XII, Issue 3628, 15 November 1920, Page 5

LABOUR TROUBLES.

| BERLIN COMMUNISTS. j METAL WORKS SEIZED. * " IJONDON, Nov. 12/ Several thousand Berlin strikers, some armed, stormed the Zion Metal Works, drove away the proprietors and engineers, extinguished the Turnaces, and took possesion of the plant. The police are now outside the works planning an attack.

FRENCH MINING TROUBLE. STRIKE SUSPENDED. PARIS, Nov. 13. The miners' strike has been suspended pendin negotiations with the coal owners through district committees.

COMBINATION OF EMPLOYERS. . 7 LABOUR ALARMED. WASHINGTON, Nov. 12. The executive committee of the American federation of Labour is holding a conference regarding the industrial situation. Certain leaders profess to see a definite country-wide conspiracy on the part of employers to force the open shop- and. lower wages. They- declare tnat many manufacturers are closing down | their plants with the object of reopening them when workers have beI come tired of idleness and will agree jto accept. reduced wages, and tne j open shop. Union leaders state that living cost® will not permit" any wage reduction, and declare their intention to fight the open shop with all their resources. It is planned to get tne Labour Federation ■ to consider the raising of a twenty million dollars* fund with which to conduct a closed phop campaign; i ~- a ,-&■■ ..;>.• - - . •; • ! NEW YORK, Nov. 12.

While Mr Gompers has not yet •given any indication of his attitude on the "open shop" question, other Federation officials state that tEw "weapon will be used if any attempt is made to lower wages. The Federation's vice-president says: Organised labour is endeavouring to gain a million new memefcrs. It is also launching an extensive campaign to unionise the so-called "white collar," workers. Addressing a conference, Mr Gompers denied that American labour was opposed to improved methods and machinery in production, except when changes were introduced whose effect up labour welfare was not considered.