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LABOUR JOTTINGS
BY "JAY KNIBB." ,
In connection with the forthcoming harvesting opeintions in A'iotoria a pro- posal has been set on foot amone; State s'-hool teachers that they should oifer their services during tlie Christmas vacation to fin mois whoso sons or em- ployees have enlisted.
The management, of Iho Cn!om?l Am- munition Company has decided, owing to the present high cost of living, to give nu all-round inciense of lCs. per M cok to the members of its staff, clerical staff I presume.
Lrunceston No. 2 branch of the AV.P.L. met last week at the AVoikers' Club, Air. A\r. Bowen, president, being in the chair. Air. H. J. Duke, general secretary of tho Trem .Employees' Fed- eration, was welcomed by the president. An,interesting discussion took place on the recent Launceston Tram Commis- sion. After considering the matter, ii was resolved to take steps lo epproaeh the Government with n view to having n sum granteel towards the expense in- curred by the emplojees in carrying the ' Commission to a successful issue. Thef president wa«-appointed to repre- sent' the branch on, the Bass Divisional
Council. . ' ?<
Tim writer of these notes has it on
I very good authority that many Laboui
ites uro adversely criticising - L-.rbour members who opposed tile proposal to place State High School pupils on the same foejting as pupils,attending other schools, in the matter of the £10 allow-
ance to winnora of bursaries.
A'ictor Grayson, who, r.s a Socialist member of the House of Commons, nnin cel notoriety a few years ago. has been lecturing m AYest Australia recently. Owing to health îeasons, ho decided to visit Australia, r-nd intends to spend u yoor or two in New Zealand.
Queensland Labour Government has
decided to purchase an oil-boring plant, I und engage the services of an export in connection with proving the oilfields nt Roma. Legislation will be introduc- ed) which will" safeguard the Stato against^ any oil monopoly, and enable tho industry to be developed, and run by the State.
General regret has been felt among Queensland Labourites at the death of Mir. John E. Buchanan, who, for the past two years had been sub-editor of the Queensland "Worker," which ,post ho filled most creditably. - The respect in which lie was held and tho sympathy felt towards his young widow wns evi- denced by the large and representativo attendance at his funeral. Deceased was only 32 years of ago.
Denison No. 1 branch of tho AV.P.L. mot nt Labour Chambers- on Alonday last. After orelinnry business had been disposed of, Air. R. Thorne opened a discussion on "War Taxation," advo- cating a wealth tax. Alessrs. Dicker and AVoods, Als.H.A., and others took part in an interesting debate,- which was adjournod ou the motion of Mr.
C. Hall.
The Operative Stonemasons' Society of N.S.W. is asking the Federal Govern- ment to impose n prohibitive import duty on marble and granite. The chief reason given is the allegation that n nnmbinntion of marble invportois by fic- titious values on invoices reduce the present duty of 45 per cont. to approxi- mately -25 per qont., while the natural protection of distance against Italian marble is nullified by vessels carrying marble and granite ns ballast; for return loading of wheat and wool. .. There is also the fact that whilo Italian mason? aro paid 2s. 3d. to 3s. per day, the Aus- tralian wages aro 12s. 8d. to 13s. 4tl. Australia -lins inexhaustible stores of marble and granite, which cannot bo de- veloped as they should bo because of this foreign competition, coupled with the machinations of the local combine. It is also alleged that the men who gaye evidence before the inter-Stpte Commis-
sion last year "have since found great difficulty in getting employment. .
In connection with the Federal refer- endum to be taken in December. Air. AleDonald, Labour member for Bingarra iir the New South Wales Parliament, has given notico in the Assembly to move-"That, -in tho opinion of « this House, the action of the Federal Gov- ernment in proceeding during tho cur- rency of the war with jn-oposals to
amend tlie Constitution of the Common- wealth by the referendum, is against the best interests of this State, the Commonwealth, and tho Empire."
Tho foregoing action of Mr. Mc- Donald has resulted in his beinrr cited
to appear this week beforo the Stato
executive of the . Political Labour League. Air. AIcDnnnld is said to take Hie view that there is nothing in the State Labour platform to bind him or
any other State Labour member to sup-1 port the refercendum on the present occasion. On the other hand, it is con- tended that Air., McDonald is acting contrary to the Labour platform, inas- much as the intor-Stnto "conference de- cided that members of the organisation should support the bills. The result of the inquiry will bo awaited with inter-
est.
Tho Browning Settlement, London, has for five years hold, during Alay, wliat is known as "Labour AA'cek." Air. Herbert Stead has contributed to the "Amorican Survey" an- article on this year's celebrations ; a fo.v extracts from tho same' may interest readers of these "jottings," moro especially those who aro interested in the much-discussed question of the Church and the Labour
movement,
This year's Labour week wns memor- able because, notwithstanding the thun- der of,a world'war, the gatherings wero addressed by representatives of five great, European races-Great Eritain, France. Belgium, Scandinavia', and Switzerland. Air. C. AV. Bowerman, AÍ.P-., secretary to the Trades Union Congress, voiced British Labour: Airs. Philip Snowden spoke for .British womanhood ; Harry Alay represented the International Co-operative Alli- ance ; Eimar Li stood for the Scandi- navian social-democracy, while letters in hearty accord v. ith the movement were received from the lending clergy and Anglo-American statesmen of to- day. Einar Li, lepresenting the Scan- dinavian Labour movement, sounded the note- demanding a inore practical Christianity. He is described as a man who springs from a line of soldiers, but who sacrificed his juristic caieer In- going to gaol for fifteen months rather than consent til serve as a Conscript. Ho was emphatic in his assertion of faith in God and iii the Christian íeligion.
Another interesting character was Hans AVirz, editor of the central, organ of the Swiss Labour movement. Tie made n strikine; confession when ho de- clared that the war lind pinved the failure of the international social democracy end of official Christianity. The failure of both he .attributed to lack of the spirit of Chi ist. Social democracy had not been permeated through and through with the icligious spirit and the high faith which tomes from Jesus alone; while official Chris- tianity had been identified with the existing social system which at so many points was in dil ort contradiction to the teaching of Jesus.
Emile A'aiidervelde, president of the International Socialist Bui eau and the elected chief of the continental L->bour
movement, delivcicd a memorable ¡
speech. His message was that with the religion of the spirit continental Social- ism had no quarrel. Rather dill it wel- come tho religion of liberty as a valu- able ally. For primitive "Christianity was. ho declaied, a doctrino of revolu- tion, which had saved the world -from slavery. Socialism and religion must
togcthei brinr down the kingdom of Hetven upon eirtli
Vginndsonof KailAIirx Ai Longuet liso conti íbiitcd an address of a sink nig diameter Though an agnostic he avowed piofound les'iect foi all sincere lolnnous belief -nid pud a glowing tiibute to the marvellous demnciatic enthusiasm winch Great Biitiin bid found in tho teiclnn^ of Jesus Ho insisted that the Tiencli Labom move ment was profoundly religious in the Ingest mid fullest sense of the temi
Al Longuet is -i Somhst membci of the Fi ench Clnmbei of Deputies ind son of in exile 1 Psiisnn communaid
Mtogcther the gatherings in connec tion with Loboin week of 191o were mernot iule mid of doon significance in rrhtion to tie c-iuso of i chown mid labom thiouidiout the woild AInst if no ill the speike o endorsed the pi o nounccment of Iii is AAir«s who bote w ltnc^s to the beginnings of a bettei time the signs of the coming uiterpcnc liation of Christianity with the pincti
eil demands of Liboui and of the I about movcnipiit with the spnitiinl dynamic of Christniiitv AAntei in concluding this weeks îottinss tiusts that mun leideis are pirtikeis of a lil" hope concerning the Liboui move ment tlnoughout the AustiMnn Coin morn c 1th _.