"WORK AND WORKERS."

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 60, 19 September 1907, Page 2

"WORK AND WORKERS."

There was a large attendance last night in the Technical School Art-room, where Mr. W. G. Malone delivered an interesting lecture on "Work." Mr. <} Tisch, chairman of the Technical School Committee, presided. In opening, Mr. Malone said there must be a differentiation between failwork and foul work, as there was between fair play and foul play. Then tnere must he a determination to work —'•Whatsoever thy hand liudeth to do, do it with all thy might." Everyone should make up liis or her mind to work with all his or her might—work whilst they worked, play whilst they playedout not to attempt to work and play at one and the same time. The world was made of conquerors and conquered. So sure as a boy or girl was willing to be among the conquered, so sure was that one a slave. It was very commonly thought that thercwere no workers but the "horny-handed" workers. There was a tendency to form into two classes, and statesmen had not endeavoured to bridge the gap-to abolish the clear-cut line between what were called the working class' and the "upper class.'-' that feeling would perpetuate the labor troubles. Some of the so-called richest men worked quite as hard as the socalled poor man, though each class was apt to think the other class was not composed of workers. They must entirely disabuse their minds of the idea that "clothes make the man." In this country there were no very rich people and few poor people, and the really poor were very often poor from their own faults—habits of intemperance or indolence. If people would be content to be without work, idleness would lead to a fat'iess and a self-indulgence that caused physical, mental, and moral trouble. Coming to the difference between headwork and Handwork, he said the race could not live without handwork, for there were now no manna showers. Without headwork also the race must stand still, for we could not go on without machinery. Handwork involved the rough work of the worldlabor, and labor meant loss. It was no use for headworkers to preach to the laborer of the "nobility of work," for the latter had the harder time of it, working in all weathers and under all conditions. The mental worker should initiate a movement to put an end to division between head and hand workers. When that was done labor troubles would cease. The earnings of some of the handworkers compared very unfavourably with those of the mental workers. He believed that every worker , should have such remuneration as would give him and his wife and family decent comfort and reasonable recreation. (Applause.) "He that does not work is a robber," because he must eat, and the food was produced by another. On the question of production and consumption, he said that very often the consumer , was an idler. In the world of bees the i workers killed the drones and threw . out the dead bodies, and idlers in the , world were as drones. "He that sheddeth blood and he that defraudeth the , laborer of his hire are brothers" and . "the laborer is worthy of his hire" were quoted. It did not follow that the "hire" should be first. Work should

come first. Did the soldier on the battlefield wonder if hia pay were sure! Was there a doctor who thought more of hia fee than of curing his patient? ftot even a lawyer thought purely of his fee to the exclusion of his ease or the welfare of hia client, nor did a parson put iiis stipend before his work. So with farmers and with the eraftsmen pay must come second. Men who were not honest workmen, who kept an eye on the clock and did as little as possible, were fools, and would soon have no work to do. In time the man who put work first would find plenty of work arid plenty of pay. Division of labor was passed over with an anecdote. He urged co-operation among workers. It was in turning out skilled laborers that technical scliools were so valuable. The abandonment of the apprentice system and the present-day division of labor precluded a lad becoming a highlyj skilled tradesman without some technical education. The man who was not temperate in all things was the man who fell out of the ranks of workers and became one of tile worst class of idlers. Mr. Malone traced the condition of the Into'er from the days of King -Edward 111. till the present day, relating some most interesting facts. There was really nn freedom for free laborers in England until 1807. As far as lie could find, the first arbitration to settle labor disputes was in Austria in 180!). He traced the evolution of the trades union from the old guilds. Speaking of the old apprenticeship system, Mr. Malone remarked that one good thing about it had been the duty of the employer to sec that the apprentices conducted themselves properly and went regularly to church. That was a good tiling The speaker then dealt with the idea that prevailed that education of children was finished when they left school. Their education was then just commencing. In the absence of the apprenticeship system and the consequent loss of interest by the employer in the young employed, the technical schools were invaluable. Boys and girls were enabled now to learn the science of the trade or calling in which they were engaged during the day. If they did not take advantage of the opportunities provided for them, it was probably not the fault of the young people themselves, but of parents or friends who should advise them. In concluding, he urged the necessity for workers to he "looking for work," and not looking for knock-oft' time. That worker would cam the approbation of his employer and advancement in his calling. Of course, it would bo said that trades unionism to some extent burked any such inclination, but this would be overcome bv the earnestness of the worker himself.

Mr .1. 11 l!oy moved a hearty vote of thanks to Mr Malone for his interesting and very instructive address. He thought Mi- Malone could, with the material in his possession, have filled two or three evenings, even a volume. Mr (J. H. Maunder seconded, and suggested the monthly establishment of lectures of this kind. A vote of thanks to tne cnair concluded the proceedings.