PENSIONS FOR WORKERS.
OUTLINE OF A SCHEME. The mtline of a scheme for the establishment of a superannuation fund for all workers was read at the meeting of the council of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce last week. 3rr [iodic utatwl tli«t-a« the result at main ye.trs study of the ouestion lie considered tli"' i deai\of the Dresentdav unrest ui the labor world arose from ihe haunting (|iieslion. of, old a.'/,!, whet; i f . was no longei possible to work. It was almost an insult to the .vorkc/s to wtggert that the old-age pension was a.! that realised wealth could olTei.as a re i'for faithful service. ,Vl\y, he continued, should not the principle of superannuation be introduced into cm- labor world'! He suggested a superannuation fund in connection with every industrial union, to which employe:' and. employed should contribute, such amounts to" be paid to the Public Trustee for ir.vesimcnt. He would make the ,'r,inimuni contribution Is per week—tld from either side. He pointed out thai nr. December 31, Hill, there were 7.1.(101 member.; of industrial unions in. New Zealand, n.-.d that the sum of Is per week contributed by, or on behalf of, these workers would amount to neatly £185,000 per annum.
Mr Bodlc suggested that after a reasonable period of building up the varior-s funds a superannuation, at the ;.ge of fi.~. of one-half the average ony should be paid to a worker who had completed -10 years in a particular industn, or in a number of industries. Lesser allowances could be made to others with shorter service. Each fund eonli) be administered by a.board of. nay, live men>-. her.?, two to be chosen by the employing members of the particular industry, two to be elected by the employees, and the ajicnt of the Public Trustee to net as chairman.
The existence of this fund, Mr. Bodr submitted, should prove an important factor in the prevention of dlsastyius labor strikes. It. should bo a provision* of the Act. of Parliament, by which this superannuation scheme ivas introdiir 1 ,-. that a secret. ballot should be, taken b? even union before a strike coulu be entered on, and, furthermore, that if any section of workers persisted in an illegal strike their superannuation funds should be liable to a. sufficiently deterrent fin;, or, in a particularly aggravated ease. In entire forfeiture. Mr. Bodle invited tl'o chamber to give the weight of its influ ence to the consideration of this important matter. He suggested that representatives of labor and capital should be invited to discuss the mattei. llie president of the chamber, Mr And:>rson. said that although many difficulties might be encountered in arranging the details of such a scheme as suggested by Mr. Bodle, there were no ap'parent reasons why such difficulties should not he overcome, it was evident that the existing state of unrest m the indusrial world could not continue mm- 1 , longer; the strain was becoming altojgethcr too great. Employees in many eases were discontented and disinclined tr interest themselves in theii employers' business, while 011 the other hand the employers of labor complained that incessant demands for increased wages and improved conditions were killing enterprise and causing a steady rise in the cost of living. The chamber should appeal to masters and man alike to ti's the industrial warfai'e. The [ scheme suggested by Mr. Bodle had a
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