The Daily News. FRIDAY, MARCH 21, 1919. A REVALUATION OF HUMAN EFFORT.

Taranaki Daily News, 21 March 1919, Page 4

The Daily News. FRIDAY, MARCH 21, 1919. A REVALUATION OF HUMAN EFFORT.

The recent speech made by the British Minister of Labor at the Aldwych Club holds out the hope that a new spirit is animating employers and workers approaching more nearly to confidence and trust in each other than has been the case in the past. Mr. Home approached the subject in a sympathetic and fair-minded manner, not stressing the differences of the past, but dwelling on the need for evolving a scheme whereby the employers and workers in each industry will sit at the same table and arrive at decisions in their common interest; He pointed out that the demands for shorter hours, profit sharing, and some! control over the conditions of work could not be neglected any longer, for the war had given the general community a clearer perception of the merits of these demands, and that no enlightened man wished to return to pre-war conditions. The crux of his speech is to be found in the assertion that

there must be a revaluation of human effort, and it is obvious that the result of this revaluation will ensure for the workers a fair share in the profits of their labor, while it will certainly prevent capitalistic exploitation. The great fortunes that have been made in the past by large employers will, in the future, be impossible, because Labor will no longer consent to be i. mere money-making machine for rich employers who have cut down the cost of production to the lowest possible point in the wages b: : ll. It is certainly reassuring to learn that the employers are prepared to meet the men in a new spirit, and if this is done wisely and well it will be up to the work ers to pla,y the game. The supreme Labor council which exists in France appears to work well, and the details as outlined by Mr. Home in his speech appear to be framed on sound and useful lines. The employers and employed are equally represented on this council, which holds a fortnight's session annually to discuss great industrial issues, assisted by three Senators, three professors of economics and law, and three representatives of chambers of commerce and trades unions. It may confidently be asserted that the employers do not possess a monopoly of industrial wisdom, and it is manifest that among the workers there are men of high intellectual and practical ability who are in a position to make valuable suggestions in the direction of furthering the industry on which they are engaged, but it can hardly be expected that under past conditions there was any incentive on their part to further enrich the employers and receive no benefit themselves. Under the conditions of future trade and industrial competition it will be politic to stimulate the workers' interest by a profit-sharing system that will give them a direct incentive to greater production, and the existence of that incentive should act as a spur to the men to a closer study of their work, with a view to evolving economising agencies that will favorably affect their prospects. It is asserted that the intelligent section of the workers are not averse to labor-saving devices, and there are excellent reasons why they should take this view if their interests are reasonably safeguarded. The present trouble appears to emanate from the younger workers, whose rational balance seems to have been upset by the war. "We are now in a transition period, and until peace is signed the war is not over; the spirit of unrest is abroad. In a recent speech Mr, Lloyd George remarked: "It is not in the interest of workmen or employers to see a complete upset in the country. You want the transition to work sensibly and practically. I want somebody representing employers and workmen—practical men, who will take our pledges into account, and start on the assumption that there is a definite pledge which every Government is bound by— to consider ?nd advise the Government as to the best method of carrying it out." It is nothing but sheer madness for the workers to depend on a destructive policy, while all their pledges and aspirations depend on sane, constructive tactics, and a sound co-operation with the employers. Nationalisation of industries is all very well in theory, but in practice the worker only exchanges one sort of employer for another, the State having the greater powers of coercion. It is neither necessary nor advisable to refer to the despicable tactics of the extremists, who can be dsalt with at will, but rather would we point to the great services rendered by Labor in the war work as exemplifying the unquenchable spirit of patriotism and the preservation of a self-respect that augurs well for the future of the workers, when the new conditions have time to settle down. It is the mass of sane, reasonable men who'will win for Labor its place in the sun, and these men and women are entitled to the sympathy and co-operation of the community in their efforts to make life worth living. Their j greatest enemies are those who are ever on the look-out to cause trouble, whereas a conciliatory attitude would be far more successful. It is recognised that the workers' conditions must be improved. This will take time, but will surely eventuate, for the progress and welfare of the world depend on the contentment of the workers. The revaluation of human effort is not a phase, but a solid movement that can no longer be delayed.

realising their power, will adopt tactics to serve their own apparent interests." It is almost inconceivable that the efficient and costly labor-saving devices which make for rapidity of clearance, should be compulsorily idle because the wharf laborers will not allow them to be used. Take, for instance, the coal grab, which lifts a ton at a time—an unquestionably efficient and economical appliance. Yet, owing to the strained relations between capital and labor, it is little used, the reason being that the men make high wages in handling coal. The chairman considers it would be more economical if the community were to payfull wages to three men, and send two of them home, say, to tend their gardens, and let the third man do the coal with the appliances provided but not used. He adds: "The wasteful method of handling coal in Wellington is unpardonable in sane men." Another instance is exemplified in the handling of cheese. Travs have been provided for lifting a ton of cheese (twelve cases), but the award allows sixteen cases in a net, so nets have to be used, the cheese being dumped on the ship's deck to at least some detriment to its market value. It is admitted that; New Zealanders are capable and diligent workers, and the waterfront men i'.re not lacking in these merits. It is also recognised that the New Zealander loves a fair deal; yet in the handling of c-M'go there appears to be arbitrary methods which harbor boards are powerless to alter. Mr. Daniels pointed out that some two-thirds of the labor engaged on the Wellington waterfront is employed by overseas capital (the ship-pir-g companies). He also emphasises the fact that salaried experts in tactics have boen evolved by both employers and workers, and he fears that these tacticians now decide the policy, as well as the tactics, on both sides, the board being the victim of the resulting decisions. There is something wrong in principle when overseas capital can dominate working conditions on the wharves of the Dominion, and as the producers have eventually to pay the bill it would seem incumbent on them to insist on radical changes. Possibly it may be an incentive to the materialising of the project foi the producers or the Government owning a fleet of insulated merchant ships, and thus get rid of the "domination or patronage of capable adventurers of other lands." This waterside labor problem is one of many needing attention. Economical and expeditious handling of cargo is a prime necessity, and the better the mechanical devices are the safer it is for the workers. Wasteful methods should no longer be tolerated, as the utmost economy is needed in all activities if we are to make progress and succeed as a nation.