TRADE & LABOUR NOTES.

Auckland Star, Volume XL, Issue 35, 10 February 1909, Page 8

TRADE & LABOUR NOTES.

(Secretaries of the various Unions ar« requested to forward copies of their TJnioß engagements to "Industrial Tramp," "Star" Office, and a list of Union Meetings will .be furnished at the head of this column for each, week.} TJNIOK MEETINGS FOB THE WEEK. This Evening, Feb. 11 — Waterside Workers; Grocers' Picnic Committee; Trades and Labour Council- Executive. Thursday, Feb. 12 — Tramway Union; Boilermakers; Engine Drivers. Friday, Feb. 13 — Furniture Trades; Bricklayers; Brewery Employees. : Monday, Feb. 15 — Cabmen; Plasterers; Painters. ....... Tnesday, Feb. 16 — Carpenters; Engineers. Wednesday, Feb. 17 — Trades and Labour Council. This is the season of trade picnics! The Gumsorters held a successful outing last Saturday; City Council Employees' next Saturday; Grocers next Wednesday, and Butchers' and several others to follow. It is a curious fact that the men attending the pans in salt works are entirely exempt from cholera, small-pox, scarlet fever, and influenza. The output of coal m Japan- in 11 years has increased from 200,000 tons . to 11,500,000 tons annually.. - ' ' The building- trades- are -very" slack at present in Auckland; an inspection of the Employment Book at the Carpenters ,, Union office yesterday, shows that 28 carpenters and joinors are signing it. This number is slightly under that of the last few weeks, which occasionally reached 50 unionists out of work in the ; carpentering trade alone; " Other branches of the building trade are also very slack; while the slump extends - -to the ironmouldlng and boiler-making trades. Blacksmiths and farriers are busy, all union men being fully employed; two good men are wanted for city firms, and, in , addition to these, two good men are wanted for Waihi and Fiji respectively Coachworkers are very slack indeed. The value of having awards of the Arbitration Court is very manifest just now in Auckland, in view of the large numbers of new arrivals reaching our shores, willing to -work for any wages in order to gain a footing in their respective trades. The secretary of the Grocers' Assistants' Union, for instance, last week had applications from no less than three newly-arrived grocers' assistants from the United Kingdom, for permission to work as under-rate assistants for a wage as low as thirty shillings per week. These were competent men, and carried splendid references from first-class houses in the Old Country. It was not claimed by the applicants that they were incompetent men, but they asked for a .permit in order - to get a start in a new land. The secretary refused the applications, there "being local'men out of employment, and,the newcomers being _ competent men. Two carried their applications on to the Inspector of Awards, who confirmed the secretary's action by a further refusal. It is interesting to note that a day or two after one assistant obtained ,work at award rates in another establishment, - thus disposing-of •the excuse that a big ■difference -exists between the trade in the Old Country and the. Colonies. No doubt the successful assistant is a more enthusiastic supporter of the Arbitration Act now, than he was when his application for an under-rate permit was refused. The Executive of the Trades and Labour Council meets this evening, to consider the present influx of immigrants assisted by the State. The whole question will be gone into, and a report pre- ' Eented to the Council for consideration at its next meeting. Sew unions are spoken of for callings that, up to the present, have never been organised. Letters have been appearing in the daily Press advocating a union of clerks employed in offices, etc. .These workers are, as a rule, not too well paid, and work a large amount of overtime, for which they are compensated "In the more generous firms by the receipt of tea-money, amounting to' one shilling, and more often still by the hardWrked clerk having to pay for his tea out of his already attenuated salary. tThe clerks have the remedy in their own hands, let them form a" union of their own, and improved conditions will follow. The Drapers' Assistants are also complaining of being left behind in the obtaining of better working conditions. Some 14 years ago, I was instrumental in forming a Shop Assistants' . Union in Auckland, which had a very * short-lived existence. It was composed of four classes of assistants, viz., grot cers, drapers, ironmongers, and hairdressers. The drapers assistants held aloof from the union as a body, only a very -few becoming members. They considered, that they were of a higher caste than the others, although they received a lower, wage; the union soon .died a, ' peaceful" death, and the drapers , ' assistants kept their 'high estate J and lower wages). The grocers* and hairdressers' assistants now have unions of their own, full of life and vigour; the minimum ■wage of the £2 5/- per week, .'. and that of the latter £2 8/- per week; whereas, before their unions .'svere formed, married men in both trades - were receiving as -little as -£1 5/~'-_ per 2 week, working all hours. ' After example, the drapers should "bestir themselves, come down from their high estate and low wages, and reverse the position of things. I have received the following letter from a representative of yet another class' that "yearn -for a union, but for whom at present I see no prospect of relief:—-"Dear Tramp,—May I state ;that there is yet room for another union to represent a hard-working body of wprkK ers, Le., canvassers and collectors. I follow TJiat" calling^' and for" "years "have advocated organising. Can you make a few remarks in your labour notes, and give a timely suggestion?—l. am, yours truly '-/' 3ly correspondent has my sincere sympathy, but the" hulk of his fellow-workers are paid on commission, and are not on a stated wage; to them the Arbitration Act offers no relief. If, he can get' 14 others who are on weekly or daily wages, who would Be" willing to combine to" form a, union, "the way is open for a betterment of their conditions. One the new Act of the Hon. J. A. Millar is that the minimum number who can form a workers' union has been increased from seven to fifteen. I cannot, in these columns, give any other timely suggestions beyond what I have already done, but will be only too happy to answer any questions, publicly or otherwise. ■ The National Union of Clerks in Engtland are a very live organisation, and publish a monthly paper called the "Clerk." The Union have 25 branches, and reports indicate further extension. ,JThe Battersea branch recently rejected a 'proposal made/by a number of bank' ■ tteris, jrho derired. to form • Bepatate

branch of the union, to be distinct from any. other branch.. Such, a, would result "in" splitting the -union inlo sectional, branches, which, -was against the spirit of unity. The Sydney United Clerks' Union are making progress, and a rough, estimate places the number of clerks at 12,000, so that the union have a big field. It was recently resolved that speaking teams bo formed, to go into the electorates of members of Parliament who voted for the exclusion of clerks in the Industrial Disputes Act, and point out to their constituents the undemocratic nature of their action. The Sydney Union are working hard to cause the suppression of sweating, -which is reported as very much in evidence in the big city. The Australian Workers' Union have a membership of 20.095; the Colliery Employees' Federation, 8934; the Machine Shearers' Union, 5580. The wealthiest body is" the Federated Seaman's Union; whose funds amount to £10,183. At their last meeting the Dunedin Carters' Union set up a committee to compare the existing local award with the awards of other centres, with a view to taking steps, if necessary, to secure a new award for Dunedin.