CORRESPONDENCE.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXVI, Issue 4063, 30 August 1870, Page 3

CO RRESPONDENCE.

To tho E-litor of the Duly Southern Cross. Slit,— ln your local column of this day's issus, I observe a notice of a meeting of master bakers,' held on Saturday night last, for the purpose of altering the present hour 3 of labour. "Would you kmdly permit me to •make a few brief remarks in connection therewith. Sir, Ido nob intend to take any notice,, of the nasty reasons set forth in 'suppWt of the vie,ws< expressed a.fc the meet-

ing of master bakers : still I may be permitted to say that, during the greater port of my life, which has been principally spent m the bakehouse, I have never experienced an) thing approaching to the misconduct hinted at, as being practised by the gene, rality of operative bakers; and I believe nine-tenths of the master bakers of Auckland will bear me out in "the assertion. I look upon this part of the business as 1 simply a calumny upon the character and habits of the operatives, which no doubt they themselves will take notice of. I now beg to refer to the subject matter of said meeting, namely, the working hours complained of. In the first place, I do not believe that ihe present movement has been gob up for the L benefit of the operative bakers. Secondly, I do not think that the present hours of labour are at all unreasonable, especially if we take what is properly called night work into consideration, in Syduey, for instance. Within my own recollection the hours were from 11 o'clock p.m. till 4 or 5 p.m. next day, without intermission ; and in many houses the hour for commencing was 9 p.m. ; and I may say, this was the rule, almost without exception. Now, sir, what is the rule here in Auckland? I believe 3 a.m. is the general hour, and the men get through, their work by 3 p.m. Tnus they have a few hours of the best part of the evening for recreation or instruction, and ample time for rest and sleep as well, and I believe the men themselves would prefer the present arrangement to the day-drudgery in a hot' bakehouse, during the summer months at least. There are other classes in the community much worse off in this respect than bakers — if we look at dairymen, butchers, printers, publicans, waiters, &c. But if bakers are to have a reform in this matter, I individually have not the slightest objection: only let it be thorough, and let the men themselves come forward and state their grievances, and let them demand the same hoiu-3 which other tradesmen have, and which they have as clear a right to, namely, the 8> or 10-honrs system ; and then let the masters meet and discuss the matter with those concerned— the respectable operatives, who do not get "tight" nor use tobacco at improper times. — I am, &c, C. Canning, Shortland-street, August 29, 1870.