Labour Day memorial

Press, 24 October 1978, Page 6

Labour Day memorial

PA Wellington > A small group of people' gathered in Wellington j yesterday for a wreath-lay-ing service at the grave of] Samuel Duncan Parnell, whose efforts to establish the eight-hour working day; are recognised by the Labour Day holiday. The wreath was laid at: the Bolton Street Cemetery, by the Social Credit candi-l dates, Mr R. England and! 1 Mrs K. Demicol. Mr Parnell arrived in New Zealand from England in 1840 and while still on board ship was engaged by a i merchant to build a store ■ and house in Petone. Hen Stipulated in the contract]: that the men building theb

I house should work only [ [eight hours a day. Mr Demicol said the spirit [of Parnell had been lost "to [ maintain a reasonable stani dard of living today a worker needs overtime and has 'his wife working. “Between them they could; be working an 18-hour day. [ “If Sam Parnell could hear] us now 1 am sure he would I ask: 'ls this what we cal' progress, with the modern: day technology you have. I with all the extra knowledge' you have, with all the ex-1 citing discoveries that have I been made?’ “He would tell us that he: did not strive for this type of progress but would urge us to look at our system and, seeing that it does not work, change it.”