Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-10-23
DEMANDS or BRITISH LABOR.

| : . . { r
| The demands OF British labor within
| the last few years have been so sweep
| ing and so radical in their nature as
to put most of the proposals of Amer
| lean unonism, radical as some of these
are. quite into the back ground.
| Three great labor organizations have
recently held their annual conventions
in that country. The labor leaders and
the Socialist leaders came close togcth-
eli. Their members in parliament have
agreed that neither the labor nor the
Socialist section should oppose official
candidates nominated at the polls by
the other and fortnightIy meetings in
common during the session have been
regularly held with a view to securing
practical cooperation in the House of
Commons
At the labor congress. according to
reports of the proceedings, the chair
man, Mr. shackleton, u member of par
lament, by the way, took up first the
congenlal subject of old-ase pensions.
He admitted that the government had
made a little concession in the
granting OF eight millions sterling to
| this object. but he echoed the standard
| note of his party by treating the age OF
seventy as derisire. He thought that
| If sixty-flve were reasonable age for
the civil service, surely sixty was ade-
ouate for those who had so many risks
attending occupations in our factories
and workshops. mines. buildings, ships.
and the various agricultural operations
of the country.
The labor leaders failed, however, to
expect the money to come with which
to carry out their elaborate plan of
| universal old-age pensions.
The attitude of the congress was sig
| nihcant. After first passing resolu-
| ton importing but not expressing
| thanks to the government for what
! had already been done towards pension
| ing the aged poor, the congress later
cancelled this apparently sensible res
olution. Gratitude was held to be I'M
de served. Pensions were looked upon
! as rights rather than as favors or bene-
| factions.
on the question of the unemployed.
| the act of parliament intended to re-
/ lieve the situation was utterly con-
dernned as failure. The government
| was called on to recognize that unem-
| ployment is now permanent in charac-
| ter in busy as In slack seasons, in sum
/ mer as In winter, and Is, common to all
/ trades and industries. The congress de-
clared that the time has arrived when
provision must be made for the pur-
| pose of finding work of public utility
! for all sections of unemployed men
and women"
Next n resolution was moved pro-
testing against the action of employers
III disoharging and refusing to employ
! worltmen over forty years of age or
! those having some slight physical de-
/ feet owing to the embargo placed up
on them by the insurance companies.
And thus 1t turned out that those who
demanded and obtained the passing OF
the Workmcn's Compensation acts OF
1897 and 1905 are already beginning to
lind that employers in seif-defence
take, or are made TO take steps to in
sure against loss. The employers in
sured their worllingnen- The insrm-
anca companies would take only those
sound of body, and In good health
And now the state is ordered so 10
speak. by the labor congress. to prevent
this result by system of compulsory
insurance OF its own Tho result would
be to Dust all insurance companies and
to replace tEair policies by state liz
suranca carried on ut loss for the
benefit Of organized labor.
Considering the financial crisis aud
the problem of the unemployed. with
: which Britain already has her hands
7 full Just now, II would seem that labor
has chosen this wrong moment and has
adopted u most unlikely form for the
statement OF its demands to obtain any
substantial or immediate relief