The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1914-02-14

ton of the work done by these out.
workers, and he hoped that steps
would vbe taken to see that the work.
ers had adequate direct and practical
representation on the local Trades
Board. He understood that, owing to
the fact that some of the workers
We're unorganized, there was some diff
ficulty about the election of workers
representatives on the Board, and that
the Board of Trade proposed to get
over the difficulty by nominating work
ers' representatives. He saw that the
Belfast Trades Council was taking &C
ton in this matter, and he would dc
everything in his power to assist the
workers to secure proper representa-
ton (hear, hear). But it was his can
did opinion that the Trade Boards Act
should be applied to the linen trade as
a whole, to cover the whole system OF
preparing, spinning, weaving and man
ufacturing or making-up.
Wages Rates.
The wages paid at present were ap
palling, in view of the fact that the
cost of living had increased by al
least 25 per cent within the past five
or six years. A carefully-prepared re
turn of some of the wages paid in the
Belfast Mills and factories in 1910 stat
ed that, plus Is bonus, the following
were the average wages paid by the
linen lords of Belfast in that year,
Weaving observation-disclosures weav
ers, 15s; plain and fancy, lbs; tenters
40s; Wrappers, lis; winders, lis; caro-
cutters, 35s; damask mounters, 3Os
Spinning Observation-Disclosures, lis
Cd; doffers, IS Sd; layers, 9s Sd;
piecers, los Cd. Preparing Depart
ment-Rovers, 12s Cd; drawers, lis;
spreaders, lis; doffers, 9s; carders
lis; flax roughers, 22s; flax dressers
25s; machine boys, IS Cd and 9s Cd
He challenged any man to show how II
was possible for the bulk of these
workers to exist on such wages. He
had been trying to get detailed re
turn of the wages paid and the number
of workers concerned, but he coult
not. The linen lords were masters al
the manipulation of figures, and every
avenue of information as to their bust
ness was carefully guarded against the
public.
Workers Do Not Benefit.
But one thing they could not hide
and that was the fact that the liner
trade had been booming for some
years, that the volume of the home
and export trade combined never was
so great in quantity and in value, but
that the workers had not benefited tc
the extent of penny by this boom
ing prosperity. No wonder the linen
lords of Belfast wanted to keep or
fooling the workers about civil war
(laughter). They must feel that once
the workers realized their position
they would demand, and would be
bound to get, at least substantial in
crease in their present rate of wages
cloud applause). Mr.. w. A. Appleton
the general secretary of the Fedora
ton of Trades Union, in a recent in
terview, made the following very i'm
portant statement. He said: "There
is a great need for properly organ
lied inquiry into the conditions OF
quite a number of trades and occupa
tions, in order to ensure fair and rea
sonable wages and hours. AS rule
trade unions are not anxious to secure
government interferences in their in
dustrial arrangements, for we much
prefer trade union combination and
bargaining. But outside present trade
union effort we recognize that there
is number of trades or occupations
in which wages boards might be insti
tuted for the benefit of both employer
and employed. For instance, there is
no necessity for it in the textile trades
of Great Britain, but in the textile
industry of Ireland, taking line down
from Belfast to Portadown, there is
great need for government assistance
You find in the flax-spinning and lin
en-weaving industry in the parts
have located that people are working
for the most wretched wages imagin
able, and that there is system Of
fines in operation which is wicked in
its incidence. In some places a man
is fined not only for faults in the ma
terial, but he is fined if he is late and
if he stays away from work. l have
seen pay-sheets which showed that al
the end of the week more than hall
the miserable amount nominally earn
ed has been deducted in this manner
The position there is so serious that
the Management Committee of the
Federation has decided to send out
a Commission of Inquiry to ireland
for the purpose of devising means tc
help these people out of their diff
culties. You can tell that the wages
there are exceedingly low If you have
anything to do with sickness in the
district, because 1t is very high. When
/ was there myself came to the con
o1noion &hok haofc&oolo 1roro ~oo5oS
more than tonics by most of the peo