The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-05-08

unions run the country?"
 ''The unions do not run the country as their enemies assert. There are only 2S,0o0 unionists workers in New Zealand out of population of S40.000 persons hav- ing adult suffrage of both sexes, so their votes could not run the country. Their influence. however. from their solidarity and intelligence Is very great and no politician can disregard it. therefore they can bring pressure on legislation.
 Economically the unions advantage labor indirectly. but very weightily. through the industrial conciliation boards and arbitration court. Unions induce a feeling of comradeship; they have helped to advance wages, shorten hours, gain paid holidays and half-hofidays, and limited the number of boy workers.
 ''The third party. the public, generally unconsidered in such matters. no longer has to bear the danger, annoyance ana loss through disturbance of trade and of society caused by employer and employe fighting out their quarrels and pretend ing to decide questions of right and wrong by methods of brute force--for the cheque book can be as brutal weapon as the club.
 Wages Steady and Advancing.
 How about wages?"
 WdBeS HI lHo cOiODy TlSe anu Idii Uut little; they have been steadily advancing of late years. They differ according to climate conditions in different parts of the colony. but they average fairly as follows: Ordinary laborers, s2 a day; farm laborers s, to $6.50 a week and found carpenters, s2.50 a day; plumbers, $2.50; bricklayers. 8 to $4; painters, 2.z5; bootmakers, s10.50 to s15 per week Out most on piece-worl); order tailors. g. 50 a day; piasterers. 8; station hands tcow- bows) $5 to $6 a week and found; shop herds, sS75 to s425 year and found"
 "Give me some idea of your women unionists."
 Women as a Labor Factor.
 "Our women take but little share in organized labor. With the exception of the Dunedin addresses. who number about 800, there are no influential or ac- tive women's unions. This arises partly because the inspectors of factories and shops look with unremitting vigilance after the wages. overtime pay; holidays. etc, of the women and girls. so that there is no pressure necessitating unionism Moreover probably the want of cohesion in the sex when engaged in the indus trial work of this country has effect here as elsewhere There arc no woman mem bers of mems unions. We have woman suffrage and our feminine electors exert steady political influence in certain direc- tions-such as temperance-but their in- dustrial position does not seem to need interference.
 The Eight-Hour Day.
 Does eight hours increase drunken ness?"
 Ut would certainly be islander on our working classes If Sny one accused them aF ThNrn fG drunEen- ness in Glasgow or in Moscow in nisht than in New Zealand in a year. To say that an eight-hour day leads to drunk enness and loafng is rubbish. The over- tired man who has worked too long is he who craves stimulant."
 "After eight hours of active and often strenuous labor leisure is not loafing, and the accusation sometimes comes with 9 very bad grace from people who are eith- CT idlers Themselves or engaged in preda- tory industry.
 '"The vices of the colonist are not drunkenness. but gambling and devotion to low ideals, the worship of the race horse and of the foot ball
 .'It is not probable that any shorter working day than that of eight hours will obtain for several years, but I hope that as machinery takes the place of sinew and when the machine Is owned by tho man who works it, plain living and higf thinking may help to very few hour, A day having to be necessarily worked b, any one Exertion on loved and fan cied line of direction is. of course, unde different conditions. and time so spen will never be measured"
 lshorr Hours and old Age Pensions
 "Does not the eight-hour day encour age extrayagance?"
 ''As to extravagance. the shorter work ing day has had if anything beneficia effect in the direction of economy, If tn savings banks statistics be accepted as test Personally, I hate hearing thrif ipreached to persons of low Incomes. Be How a certain wage line every penn saved is a sin against the workers fam | iIv. depriving them of some necessity c Iufe It is enough of thrift for such
 one to be insured, or in a friendly soc ety to guard against sickness or accider or death. The working father or mothe who has brought up a family mas al tn cost of thousand self-denials and dc invitations. performed a most valuabl duty to the State. and should be proVio ed for in his or her old age by the stat whose future has been thus nourisheC even if 1t means heavy taxation of thos ubo have had better opportunities of aC ouiring money or property by shirkin the responsibilities of fostering larg families. In New Zealand. through ou old age pensions. we partly meet ou moral and national liabilities but muc fmore will yet have to be done by tn English-speaking peoples if they wish make their nations tn the future any thing more than mixtures of mongr' | aliens,
 Employment Bureaus for Uncle Sam
 "Concerning your question as to tn employment branch of the New Zealan labor department, and whether such a office would succeed in America l cor sider 1t has been a success here and SC no reason why it should not be useful 1 the States. Since 1891 we have assiste g. .SS2 men, and these had 70,770 depend ants. so that 103.152 persons have bee benefited. This does not include tt thousands who take advantage of our il formation offices all over the country the figures given above are of those WI received actual assistance in railway an steamer fares. etc, in order to- bring u | work and the worker together