CITY COUNCIL EMPLOYEES.

Press, Volume LVII, Issue 17058, 1 February 1921, Page 7

CITY COUNCIL EMPLOYEES.

fljg NINE SHILLING BONUS.

- Finance Committee reported to V* Christchurch City Council last night "t it bad informed tho General \j&#rs - Union that it <lid not intend i "Ltanmend tho payment of a bonus 2o* per week to its employees. In nnesion with the application which tTcierka and Cashiers' Union intends * make to tho Arbitration Court for vTus of p« r week for adult mal ° * tprs and 4s Gil for females, tho JJili. nutdo uo recommendation to •fee Council- . . .. T i deputation,, comprising Messrs J. » Walter (president), C. 1". Saunders LSSS&k «"'l M. Wfcktom, from Labourers' Lmon, waited tho Council to support tho apphea- * i or t hc 9s bonus. a< \fr Walker said that in tho period •1 June last, when tho Arbitration fnurt fise<l the wages of local bodies Siers at Is lOd per hour the Goiertment Statistician showed the rise •.Vhacost ot living to have been 63./8 ~r cent., and the December abstract, t which dealt with the period ending V/vvember 30t n, -bowed an increase over Mr prices (three food groups) of Si3-> per rent. This meant a further rise 0f17.51 or 17i per cent, since tho jone pronouncement, and 17} per cent. M the pre-war wage of Is 2d per hour ®" n t 2 9-20ths of a penny—or, rough- £ speaking, -'M l»r hour increase rnuld bo necessary to maintain the aaiidard of iivi»;< granted by tho Court in Juno Therefore, to maintain jhe standard enjoyed in 1014, they *ould need an increase over tho prewar wage of 81.32 per cent, or " a rnte of wages of 2s ljd wr hour. Insofar as the gene- „| labourer was concerned, tho jrirate employer had re?ognised the Motion somewhat, and the builders, contractors, and general labourers tward filed last November gave the labourer a minimum wage ranging from 2s to 2* 3d per hour, and that was a complete agreement arrived at by renKsentatives of both parties before the Conciliation Commissioner. In tho section of labourers tho union engaged in the wool and grain stores, they also came to a complete agreement with thp employers, whereby tho men engaged by them were receiving a minimum at" 2s ljd per hour, or lGs lOd per day of eight hours. In tho quarries also the jnen are being paid from 17s to JBs per •la*. The Woolston Borough Council had decided to continue tho payment of the 9s bonu9. which it had paid from November Ist last. , , , The deputation asked that the labourers employed by tho Council be brought into line with tho rates of wages paid hv emi>loyers to other -sections of tho . jf €ron*ral Labourers' Union ft In reply to Cr. Fleshct, Mr Saunders f admitted that tho general labourers in the building trades and in the quarries tometimea lost working time through wet weather and other reasons After tho reading of the Finance Committee's summary of the general account, Cr. Flesher said that tho financial position of- the Council needed careful consideration at the hands of every one, especially whe.n they knew that las£ year the overdraft had increased by £17,000. Up to the end of tho year the amount expended in works was kept fairly within, the limit of the estimate, but lately it had gone beyond it. Tho increase in the wagos wm largely due to tiifl pr€S©ttfc financial position. For the year 191718, ended March 30th, the wages bill was £37,746, and the into revenue was £09,111; in 1918-10 the wages totalled £40,608. whilo tho rate revenue was practically tho snroo as t'hat of tho previous year; in 1919-20 the wages liad increased by £17,508, and tho sumof •£38,819 had Been spent on Toads. For nine months of tno current year tho wages expenditure had been £48,037, whilo the total rate revenuo for the JwOiolo year was £82,407. 'Cr. Fleshetf said lie wanted these figures noted, so I that all could see why the city finances •were going back. .The city was now } rated up to the hilt. Unless during t this last quarter of the year economics could be effected, either by doing away with'some of tlhe hands or doing only absolutely necessary works,..the financial position at the end of the year would ■be very serious. The high cost of material also contributed towards the present position. Cr. Cooke said that the workers were doing absolutely necessary work, and wags* hod gone up in other sections of employment more tihan they had in tho municipal employ. The municipal works in the streets had been cut down te a minimum. The ratepayers would not object to increased wages expenditure when necessary work was being dam. The "city mast be kept healthy. Cr. liurgoyne: I rise to a. point of order. The position of the general aotoant is being considered, but Cr. Cooke ia on altogether another lino. Ifc* Mayor: Cr. Cooke is in order, and I think ho has made a very intelligent apeeoh. We must keep the city % ckan alid healthy. Ch Beanland, chairman of the Works CtHßaittee, said that the Council was Mb joar faced with eomo big difficulty but 4ie pointed out that in order Wiwid increased expense in maintenMssatetal about £sooo.worth of metal *» being carried forward. Casual WtiMers had been dispensed with as far H possible. There was no doubt, how«Wi that at the rate money was being S ended the Council was going to spend tto the end of the year more than, *W,OOO than Ihad been provided for. . There were a few ways in which econocould be effected without inflicting MWhardsSiips, and he had the greatest* eonfldejKo that the Works Committea would do the best in the interests of the ratepayers, and at the same time would not inflict any injustice or hard•nijj> on the employees. •5 °t the deputation was considered at a later stage in the xneetwhen Cr H. Hunter, in accordance with notice, moved: "That owing to the increased cost of living, for which the Council's employees are m no sense responsible, the wages of all employees bo increased by 9s per week, tuch increase to be retrospective is from November Ist."

Cr. Cooke seconded the motion. Cr. Hunter said that they had heard a lecture from Cr. Flesher about the great increase in wages The Major: That was in another debate. You cannot go back on that LOW.

Cr. Hunter : Very well. Perhaps I will know about Pailiamentary procedure later on. He said that too much hud been made of the cry of "Poverty." It phould be realised that revaluations in the city would be made, and after March the rating revenue would be much greater. Cr. Hunter, •peaking In suport of his motion, quoted figures to show the increase m necessary household commodities since 1914.

In reply to Cr. Harper the mover uid he intended that the bonus should <mly apply to employees who came under Arbitration Court awards.

Cr. Agar said that compared to other labouring sections he considered that the Council staif was very well paid. They received annual holidays on pay from ten days to three weeks in each year, and hod no broken time. This question was, as usual, being brought on on the eve of an election.

Cr. Hunter: That is unkind. The Mayor said that the remark of Cr. Agar was not fair. The wages Kstion had been discussed throughout past two years. Cr. Agar remarked that the Cost of hrinc; was now going down. Tho Mavor: Butter 13 not. (Laughter.)

Cr. H. I'. Armstrong said that the health of the country had gono up in Woent years by leaps Bad bounds, and

there was no reasonable argument why the standard of the worker should bo reducod. It was known that tho increased wages would mean something added on to the rates, but as the wealth of the city was going up the people must be in a position to pay their workers in proportion to the increases in tho cost of living. Cr. E. H. Andrews said that they would all like to support the motion if it "was shown where tho money was to come from.

Cr. Cooke: The same place as it would come from if the Arbitration Court had made the bonus 9s. Cr. Andrews said that' if the increase was granted the only alternative was to reduce the hands, and he asked if tho workers wore going to stand out for the 9s bonus at tho expense of a number of fellow-workers who would be dismissed. Cr. Sullivan said that tho work being done by the employees was absolutely essential. He had been assured that thero was going to be* a considerable increase in the rateable value of tho city. Tho City Council had in the past treated tho citizens very fairly, and good service had been given, and tho citizens should be prepared to give fair treatment to the workers employed by tho Council. There was not a, working man in Christchurch who would resent paying a few shillings extra in rates in order that decent treatment would be given to the Council workers, but the people who would protest would be tho large ratepayers. And those were the people who had made enormous sums of money in the past few years. Cr. Flesher moved ns an amendment: "That further discussion on this question be postponed until tho application going beforo the Arbitration Court for a banus of 9s per week is deqded." He thought this was the wrong time for the Council to bring un tho matter of increasing tho wages. Those who spoke strongest in support of increasing tho wages would not bo affected in the least, as thev did not pay rates. As long as tho nigh price of building remained as it is, so long would there bo a cessation of building in tho city, and there would not be such an increase in rate revenue after the revaluation as was anticipated 'by some previous speakers. If the increase were granted it would cost tho Council £BOOO a year extrai for wages. Cr. Beanland seconded the amendment. He said lie had always been in favour of paying tho Arbitration. Court award to the employees. At present the Council labourers received 4s or 5s a week more than tho outside labourers. The former's wages ran from £4 2s <3d to £4 9s, and they had several advantages, such as steady employment and pavment for holidays:. , . Cr. Armstrong said that the local bodies' awaTd was the lowest rato for labourers in Canterbury. Cr. J. 0. Jameson said that the position as it appeared to him was that tho Arbitration Court fixed wages, and then somebody cn-mo along and said: "We don't like what the Arbitration Court lias done," and they wanted that upset*. The matter should he left to the Court. A Commission fixed tho_ basic wage in Australia at £5 7s, while here it was £4 2s fid. He submitted that tho Arbitration Court was wrong. Cr Armstrong said that he was surprised at men like Cr. Flesher erring in a wealthy city like Christchurch. The voting was: — For the amendment (8): Crs. Bcianln.nd. Andews, B'irgoyne, Harper, Agar, Flesher, and Williams. Against tho amendment (7): The Mayor, Crs. CJoolte, Herbert, Sullivan, ' Hunter, Langlev, and Armstrong. There were hisses from the Labour ' wing when Cr. Burgoyno voted "Aye.' ' Cr. Langley then moved an amendment that a sub-committee, consisting of the chairmen of all the committees, ' with Crs. Hunter, Sullivan and Armstrong. be set up to go into the question of increasing_ the wages, and report to the Council. I This was carried by 9to 6.