The Daily News. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 1921. INDUSTRIAL AFFAIRS.

Taranaki Daily News, 12 September 1921, Page 4

The Daily News. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 1921. INDUSTRIAL AFFAIRS.

Experts and amateurs appear to be completely baffled in their endeavors to discover how the industrial machine can be again made to run smoothly and perform its functions for the Welfare of the nations effectively and without friction. Many causes have contributed towards the breakdown which has taken place; some are known, others come within the sphere of scientific, inference, but the more the problem is considered the clearer becomes the conviction that the human equation is the dominant factor. Speaking at a meeting of the British Association recently, Sir Richard Gregory condemned the lack of interest exhibited by the trades unions in scientific problems, and lie contended that if the unions were true to theiif title, instead of being merely wage unions, they would give the same attention to the scientific principles of industry as they did to claiming the uttermost wages therefrom. To this a trades union leader replied that it was no part of trade union functions to propagate scientific knowledge. The incident is one that throws much light on industrial affairs, particularly with regafd to trades unionism, and in some measure accounts for the deplorable condition into which the industrial machine has fallen in the fight wherein it has been involved for many years, and whereby it has been battered almost out of recognition. If it were possible to scrap the machine and construct in its place an effective and smqoth-working, substitute that would serve for a century or so—if not for ail time-—well would it be for employers, workers and consumers, but the process would inevitably be akin 1o that of building the Tower of Babe), beginning with unity and ending in chaos. Admitting that the vyar threw most activities out of gear, it can fairly be claimed there has never been a time like the present when the necessity has been so urgent for men to do with all their might whatsoever their hands find to do —for it is the workers the world most needs. Instead of meeting this need, there is nothing but agitation and strife; ever increasing demands for shorter hours and more pay; soaring prices of the necessaries of life —the day of the demon of greed. To what end? Compulsory deprivation of essentials, unemployment. on a large scale with its attendant riots and miseries, tire dislocation of trade and industry, and the creation of a great industrial boom in Germany. At the root of this evil is. the abuse' that has been made of trades unionism by rhe adoption of direct action and other methods to reduce output. With the original principle on which these unions were founded there can be no quarrel—a combination of workers to enable each to secure the conditions most favorable for:

labor by legitimate means. The abuses which have crept in are too well known to need recapitulation, and the world to-day is reaping, to its sorrow, the harvest these abuses have yielded. No one can be unmoved by the accounts of the pitiful distress in the Homeland caused by unemployment, although in some cases the unemployed have been receiving more in relief money than they obtained from wages while working. The Dominion is also having to face the same trouble. Only last week a deputation from the Alliance of Labor waited on Ministers and claimed that every man should be given “useful employment or unemployment wages, to be financed by a betterment tax, land tax, a levy on accumulated capita], and the establishment of a State bank.” Who is to decide what “useful” work is? Probably it would be taken by Labor as meaning “suitable” work, a definition that would certainly create a position wherein considerable numbers would be “living on idleness.” There is only one effective remedy, and that is by generally reducing costs. It was found that when wages rose there was no increased yield. An expert, conscientious worker can almost always get work. That is one- reason why the unions should pay more attention to scientific and practical problems than to lust of power and dominance. The slump after the good times was inevitable. It is not surprising that Sir Francis Bell expressed disappointment at the failure of the deputation to advance any helpful suggestion for dealing with the present situation. The difficulty of obtaining money for public works ean only be met by . reducing the cost of those works by lower >vages or greater output, or both. There is ample work waiting to be carried out, but the heavy cost bars the way. The incident of Mr. McCullough’s resignation from the Arbitration Court has far more significance than appears on the surface. It is still another phase of coercion against, which a definite stand should be made, or the country will suffer for its tolerance.