Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-08-21
WHERE LABOR IS KING.
Capital in Australia at the Mercy of
the Wage Workers.
Lab0ringmen Thoroughly Organ
lied Under One Head-SteamShip
Companies Bound Hand
and Foot.

and Foot.
AN ample exemplifcation on the ty-
ranny of labor over capitaliis to be had
now in Australia" said Richard Binnie,
of New South Wales, at the Palmer House
In Chicago Saturday morning. Mr. Bin
ME, who is now travelling around the
world, is an old resident in the continent
of the southern Pacific, and his large
monetary interests there connected with
the employment of labor have given
him an opportunity for gaininga thorough
insight into the pregnant question. The
settlement of this question" he continued
when the subject was broached, lis al
most beyond the grasp of the imagination
In no part ofthe world is labor so COM
pletely organized as it is in Australia in
no part has labor so complete a mastery
over capital and in no part does labor ex-
erclse so merclless, so unreasonable, so
ceaseless a tyranny. The wrongs which
capital may have in bygone days inflicted
upon labor are now being rapidly atoned
for, and if the debt is not already wiped
out it soon will be and the balance found
on the other side of the books.
In the first place." Mr.. Binnie con-
tinued to group of interested listeners,
there IS the union of each trade, each
branch of classified labor. The organic
alton of this union is, may say, allowing
for the limitations of human endeavor, per
feet. 1t is not organized for the benefit of
the outsider, but for itself, and to obtain
membership the applicant must wait his
turn. Until his turn come and he is ac-
cepted he can get no work, for no man
who employs labor dare hire him unless
he is a union man. If his application be
rejected then indeed he may as we'll leave
the colony. Once admitted, however, he
is safe and his interests and well-being
are as carefully looked after as he himself
would oversee them, on the ground that
the welfare of one is the welfare of all.
Take for instance, coal mine union. If
any member have cause for complaint his
superiors in the union consider it, and, if
deemed just, the complaint is brought to
the notice of the owners, is remedied, or
the mine shut down. And, too, it re.
mains shut down until the owners come to
terms.
This Is due to the utilization of the
union with other unions, and the supreme
power of this utilization is lodged in the
trades council. To successfully resist the
mandate of this last body is to do more
than has yet been accomplished. To illus
trate. I'll take the steamship companies
Such is the condition of things on the YES
sells catering to the Australian trade that
the owners are compelled TO employ about
so per cent. more deck hands than are re-
quired and about IS per cent. more fire.
men and to give them nearly double the
wages paid to similar classes of labor in
| other countries.
suppose an owner reSentS such interior
ence? What is the result? He sets out
| to employ new men who do not belong to
the unions. He may get them; but mind
he has to get men for every department of
the steamer engineers, firemen, cooks,
stewards, deckhands and sailors. The
weakness of his position will probably be
shown him when he tries to recoal The
trimmers will not load steamer employ
| ing nOn-union men. If non-union trim
mers are employed the men at the mines
notify the coal dealers through the rep
resentative of their union that if any coal
is sold to the steamer employing nom
union men they will strike and shut down
! the mines belonging to the dealers or
owners. That done dealers can buy no
coal from other mine-owners because of
the latters justified fear of strike in
their own mines should they assist d man
who had incurred the displeasure of the
union and has not made his peace with
the down-trodden (?) laborers
Nov what can the steamship owner do
under such circumstances" queried Mr..
Binnie. Nothing, absolutely nothing,
but submit to the DEGREES of his employees
This state of things exists not only on the
vessels engaged on the coastwise trade but
vessels from America and other ports Of
the world as we'll. Your Claus Spreckles,
the California sugar king, accustomed to
do as he pleases, ran foul of the Australian
| labor union when he sent his steamers to
Australia, having on them Chinese en-
ployes. Scarce had the first ship tied
| to the wharf ere an officer of the union
notified the captain that in future unless
he came without Cinnamon his steamer
would not be unloaded-and in future the
warning was carefully needed
| mot long ago steamer came to Sgd
ney, and when made fast the deck hands
struck because, forsooth, they claimed the
steamer had served them during the voy-
age with bad butter. The officers of the
union were sent for and the captain of the
steamer gave them sample of the but
ter. They declared it good and order I'd
the men back to work. The order was
obeyed and the steamer unloaded and
made ready to leave. The captain gave
the order to cast off the bowline, where
upon the leader of the crew raised his
hand and walked off the steamer to the
wharf. The captain asked the reason.
1--WE want that steward discharged,
they replied,
but your union officers said your
grievance was unjust and told you to re-
turn to work. the captain rejoined
1--WE cont care - what the officers
say We won't work with that steward
aboard, said the men.
They came, but said they could do Lothing
They acknowledged that the men were in
the wrong, but explained they were elected
them to work. The result was the dis
but the steamer would have remained
there till now had the steward been retain
ed. Of course the unions appreciate their
power, and like all men unaccustomed to
the possession of power. they are abusing
it more and more, and rules are adopted
to the great In jury of capital. For in
to work in the rain A little while ago a
and the trimmers set to work It began
to rain and they stopped. The captain of
the steamer, anxious to catch the tide, of
fered to put up tarpaulin to cover the
men, but no, it was raining and they
would not work till it ceased. And for
twelve hours that steamer was compelled
To tooro until Itch