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; INDUSTRIAL NEWS
A.W.U. IN TASMANIA.
OSMIRIDIUM FIELD MATTERS.
Mr. W. H. Reece, organiser of fha Aus-
tralian Workers1 Union in Tasmania, re-
ports ia the official organ of that union
ss follows:-"I have visited tho track to
the osmiridium field at Adams Hiver. The :
work is being done by Government day
labour. Tbero are nino gangs employed,
comprising 102 men. The work is heavy,
and the men in parts of the works have
to work over their boot-tops and sometimes
knee deep in mud, and, with the exception
of one gang, they bavo to carry the heavy
timber for corduroying on their backs over
rough country'- Tho climate is very wet,
and for seven or eight weeks thero was
hardly ? a fine day. Tho men have to
work in all kinds of weather or thiy would
not make tucker. The Government are
delivering stores to them free ot packing
charges. Wages nre paid by cheque, and
it is almost impossible to gel change. The
Government deduct tho men's' store ac-
counts from their wages and pay the
amounts to tho storekeeper.
"There was not any "first aid" equip-
ment provided on any part of the works,
and I found that three men wero living
in. tents 10ft. s Sit., whereas the award
stipulates two men for tent3 that size.
After returning from this job, I made ar-
rangements to attend to tie shearing
sheds, but I received an urgent wire to
go to tho Shannon River hydro-electric
works, as there was trouble there, I
visited tho works, and found the trouble
to be alleged victimisation of ono of our
union members, and a general dissatisfac-
tion over tile action of a certain ganger
towards members of tho uuiou. Three
members of thc local committee of thc
union and myself were deputed to wait on
tho onginecr in charge of the works, and
after hearing our case ho made the follow-
ing offer:-lo create a new gang and place
the members affected in that gang; work
to be resumed forthwith. Other grievances
in respect to wet nay and marginal rates
were adjusted. It Was agreed that »'
future all grievances that may arise would
j bo first dealt with by tho local committeo
I of the union, and if found necessary tho
committee wonld place tho matters in dis-
pute before tho engineer in charge, who
nromiscd at ail times to give the men
erery_ facility to state grievances that may
arise.'*
UNEMPLOYMENT A WORLD-WIDE
PROBLEM.
In au article published in the "Inter-
national Labour Review" for August, 1925,
the International Labour Otlico of the
League ot" Kations examines the unemploy-
ment figures for 1921 and 1325 in all coun-
tries for which statistics arc available, in
connection with the movement of prices.
A few great industrial countries such as
France, in particular, aud Italy, suffered
little unemployment during this period.
Similarly, the United. States escaped seri-
ous trouble as a result, it would seem, ot
tho double policy of credit control and im-
migration control. In other countries
unemployment decreased considerably, as
in Czechoslovakia, Germany. Switzerland,
and, to a less degree, in Denmark, the
Netherlands, Norway, Sweden ami South
.'Urica. Tn Great Britain, on thc other
hand, after a certain improvement, carly
in 1924, tbcYe was a considerable increase
at the beginning of 1025; iu Australia and
Canada also unemployment increased in
1924; while even in India unemployment
has become a problem for tho middle
class workers among the Anglo-Indians.
Japan is apparently suffering more severe-
ly than at any previous time. In Belgium,
where unemployment had practically dis-
appeared in 1023, thero was a fresh out
I break during thc last months of 1921. In'
j Poland, thero I hos been a marked increase,
and in Austria and Hungary unemploy-
ment bas reached overwhelming propor-
tions.
THEATRICAL EMPLOYEES.
In tie belief that members arc being
victimised in some instances by employ-
ers, tie Theatrical . Employers' Union of
Australia hos applied to tie Federal Ar
bitraiton Court for a variation of its award
to enable it to compel employers to pay
award rates to unionists and non-unionists
alike..
GENEVA LABOUR CONFERENCE.
Methods of selecting tho Australian
workers' delegates to the next internat-
ional Labour conference nt Geneva in 1920
have already been considered. It bas been
derided that each State shall nominate
a candidato, and that tho final sélection
be made by nrefcrential ballot, each State
council to have a vote
CARTERS' AND DRIVERS' UNION.
PROPOSED CONFERENCE WITH
COUNCIL.
At last night's meeting of thc- City
Council tho Public Works Cominittoo
reported that a letter hsd been received
from the Fodcratod Carters' and Drivers'
Industrial Union of Australia, asking
for a conference, with a view to in-
creasing ratCB of wattes and imprnvinc
conditions. Tho^ committee recommend-
ed that thc union bc inform-
ed that the Council did not. consider
tho conference necessary. Nearly all
horse cartago was carried out by con-
tract, while thc only two horse driver?
employed by the Council, as well as motor
drivers, came undor the terms of asrree
ment with the Municipal Employees'
Union which was now being registered in
the Arbitration Court.
The report was- received.
FIFTY YEARS AGO
(From "The Mercury" of
November 24, 1875.)
As illustrating tho amcnir
ties of professional lifo be-
hind thc curtain, we might
mention, an episodo which oc-
curred at thc Opera House,
Melbourne, last week, during
the rehearsal of "La J olin
Parfumeuse," -when the Dir-
ector, Mr. W. S. Lyster, pre-
sented Mr. C. H. Templeton
with a handsome scarf ring
set with diamonds and rubies,
and accompanied by a letter
of appreciation of thc man-
ner in which he had so ad-
mirably studied nevr ]>art$
with such short notice. It is
almost unnecessary to state
that the gentleman alluded
to is Mr. C. L. Pringle, who
has many relatives and
frienda in this city. Mn,
Pringle is known by the
stage name of "Templeton,"
but why he should have fol-
lowed tho bad example set
' by some artists of abandon-
ing his right name wc know
not. The profession Mr.
Pringle has adopted is an
honourable avid irreproach-
able one, to those who choose
to make it so, and Mr. Prin-
gle wrongs his art, his native
place, and his own true name
by adopting a ridiculous and
unnecessary alias.
$