Welsh Newspapers

Search 15 million Welsh newspaper articles

Hide Articles List

28 articles on this Page

WORKMEN'S NOTES. .

News
Cite
Share

WORKMEN'S NOTES. AMENDMENTS TO SHIPPrNS BILL. By MR. WILLIAM BRACE, M.P. [Vice-President of the South WAr- Minera' Federation]. The second part of the Parliamentary .session opened with the Merchant Shipping Acta Amendment Bill, with Mr. Lloyd-George, the President of the Board of Trade, in charge. This Bill will make many improvements in shipping law; it will also make the reputation of the Minister in charge as & constructive statesman, equalling, if not exceeding, in power the destructive critical politician. Quite a number who could not fairly be classed as opponents of Mr. Lloyd-George we not disposed to grant him the possession of all-round abilities such as he has displayed, AY ait -until he has charge of a depart- i ment, then we shall see," was a sentence one often heard uttered in no very con- fident tone. Well, we have seen him at work as the chief of a most important department, and the consensus of opinion is, not that he has been a success, but that he has been a brilliant success. He has impressed everyone who has had business relations wIth him of his sense of fairness and strength of character. He informs the deputations that wait upon him now far he is pre- pared to go, and rigidly observes obliga- tions. he has entered into. He has argued out the case with the deputa- tions, leaving no uncertainty in their minds as to what he will or will not do. Mr. Success. During the last few days I have been OiOugnt into intimate contact with) parties interested in the Merchant chipping Bill by reason of the fact that.! have placed^ upon the order paper of the House of Commons a new clause "w mch will raise a debate upon the whole question of ship measurements, and I have heard it expressed more than once that no one has held the important office) ot President of the Board of Trade with more credit to himself than the present iw1?1?01"' Looking at this young .Welshman, who has won for himself a position among the great ones of the nation. I could not help the thought that, although at one time in the history Dt VV ales she was conquered by the ngish, she is now getting her revenge without shedding of blood, in the pro- cess now proceeding of conquering ,England through the brilliant abilities and daring enterprise of her children, who are quietly and gradually becoming the holders of some of the most exalted (positions England, aye, and Britain, have to offer in the different departments that demand courage and ability above the ordinary. I have been led to write th^e reflections after witnessing for a lull day last week the tactful, diplo- matic manner in which this Bill was guided on its voyage by its Welsh pilot. Robbing Peter to Pay Paul. The sailors will benefit very consider- ably under some of the provisions, but to me i. seems a curious principle that some of it is done at the expense of parties who are outside the shipowners and sailors altogether. Why harbour =fies or pdots or both should be compe led by law to give up what would be looked upon as a right in any other branch of industry I really do not even ow appreciate. To benefit the> sailors nd compel pilots or dock authorities to carry out certain obligations without receiving payment from the shipowners shipowners have been forced by Parliament to provide better housing accommodation for their work- ♦ ka 6# ani sul^ab3e storage room for their food, strikes the lay mind as a very curious arrangement. To me rr Beems as peculiar as if Parliament, Beems as peculiar as if Parliament, after insisting by a new law that the colhery-owners should better ventilate their collieries or take some other means to safeguard the health or lives ot their workpeople, should compel railway companies to carry the coal from the collieries to the seaboard for a price or to carry some portion of it free ot charge, so as to assist the colliery- owners to bear the cost the new law would place upon them. Bv .the deduc- M^0r eXe?ptlons aJWed "nder the Aierchant bhippmg Act of 1894 the pilots earnings have suffered a very substantial reduction, and if Clause 51' of the new Bill were allowed to pass in its present form it would mean an additional reduction, according to tae pilots' statements, of 12t per cent. Happily for them, Mr. Lloyd- *ccepted an amendment standing m the name of Mr. D A ;Thomas, which will very considerably! ;lf not entirely modify this alleged loss i}ho^h, at the time of 7 ? ^OUSe or Commons has not! S It h U (loubt.!css' when next it has the business m hand. Cardrff Pilots' Grievance. That the pilots have a very real grievance is demonstrated clearly bv a citation of the bowing facts —In th« year 189-j the exports from Cardiff amounted to 10,548,093 tons, and the pilotage fees amounted to £34,831. In 190.5 the exports were 11,805.999 tons £ n4 am°unt paid for pilotage was 1 258 mh 7 ovvs that' although! 'by £ 34m<jl° Carg0 «rr,f.t uy vessels, ±d4 less was paid to the pilots for pilotage. That this is no romance is proved by the conditions pre- vailing at pre-sent within the area of the Cardiff pilotage service. There are now thirty-three eligible apprentices on added^^Tb ab°Ut six more to added. The nrst twenty are all between thirty and thirty-eight years of age yet they cannot be made full pikrta tec'Jite the fees received will not permit average income being about £ 3 10s'. pe? week tor a dangerous and highly skilled IfMl knowIed8e of the question of register tonnage does not pe?mit m« to dogmatise, but I have no he8?tation m corning to the conclusion, upon Z knowledge I have, that the present system of arnmg at the net tonnSo is by no means an ideal one R owners, pilots or shipowners, as under it many of the shipowners are over charged as compared with the rat £ f «+ • comP€ting vessels similar almost m every respect. TWore any scheme that would abolish eSS anomalies and provide a j n8 scientific rule which would leaved room for injustice to anv of th*™ w„uld, i by all. Trade Depute. Labour Satisfied. °f 7r/ting the Trade! 3 not.been reached, but1. taken °!u neS°tiation has ta^en place between the representatives of Labour in the House of Commons and the Attorney-General over the points that were not fully met upon the last Housp°n n ithe Bil1 was before th« Stn™ us not feeI at liberty to Btate very emphatically what has been STnlrTVJ the conferences, but I S +bj foLmd when the Bill is again presented that the contention of i^^repreJ96ntat?ves of Labour, both inside and outside the House of Com- S.oSn +taVe been fafr,y met' and, m^!°re' i, debate upon the shouId be -of short duration. ni thing has_ given me immense pleasure, for m it I see much hope for wholA n/li V1T"\that in this matter the wnole of the Labour members have been working together, regardless of what + y^,may ^long to. The Par- Committee of the Trades ijnion Congress undertook to convene a oonference of the Parliamentary Com- mivtee of Congress, the executive of the the ecutive of the Federation of Trades, and the whole of the members of Parliament connected with the Trades Union group and the Labour party. VZSrJ™ J5 ^]endid ^ea, and has i fh tarmor.iomly, all sections } inking their individual opinions so as a-S ?ne complete body to defend 1iXtereSt- 1 trust this is only the first of many such joint efforts, for thereby I see the solution of the problem that has caused much anxiety JLTi? reC £ nt mo"ths everyone who the welfare of the workers at heart.

Advertising

A PAYING GUEST. !.

BOMB OUTRAGE IN RUSSIA

MAN LEAPED LIKE A DEERI

"GINGERING" HORSES.

MYSTERIOUS GIRL PRISONER

ARTISTIC BUILDINGS.

PENITENT INEBRIATE.I

BLAINA BARRED-WHT 2

--_--------IPOLICE AND PUBLIC.

WORTH CUTTING OUT.

THE MEMORIAL TO VICAR1 PRICHARD,i

PATERNITY SUIT. * ..

A MERRY WEDDING PARTY

CIRCUS RIDER'S TROUBLES

BURGLAR'S CLEVER RUSE.

Advertising

WELSH PAGEANT. .

A DISTRESSING CASE.

HUSBAND AS DETECTIVE.

"""--ALL NIGHT, IN mE OPEN.

WELSH TIN-PLATE TRADE.

TRUANT COLLIERS

TOKENS OF ATTACHMENT-

POLICEMAN AND THE Bmfctf

NOCTURNAL MARAUDERS.

Advertising