LABOURERS AND THEIR WAGES.

Evening Post, Volume LXXIII, Issue 28, 2 February 1907, Page 9

LABOURERS AND THEIR WAGES.

O THE CITY COUNCIL'S EMPLOYEES. BECOMMENDATIONS OF THE FINANCE COMMITTEE. REFUSE COLLECTING — IMPROVEMENTS SUGGESTED. Unskilled labourers and their wages formed the subject of a good deal of discussion at the meeting of the city Council last evening. The matter was introduced by the reading of tho following clauses of the Finance Committee's report: — "That tho City Engineer be authorised to pay casual labourers up to 8s 6d per day according to their competence ; that tho wages of house-refuse cart drivers remain as at present, but that the new sehemo for cleansing the city suggested by ,the City Engineer in his report be given effect to. Under this scheme the work will not be so difficult and will be carried out in a better manner. :The new 6chemo to come into force next financial year ; Jihatthe City Engineer be empowered to pay men on tho Brooklyn Reservoir up to -9s for work requiring more than ordinary skill ; that tho men employed in street cleansing be allowed to cease work at 11 a.m. on Saturdays, on account of "their starting one hour earlier than the general body of employees. , The Mayor said the committee did not see its way to grant tho full prayer of the* petition originally sent in, but on the recommendation of the engineer it was agreed by the committee to pay an extra bd per day. In -regard to the men employed at Brooklyn, tho engineer had informed the council that the work to be done was largely of a special character. He moved the adoption of. the rnport. Councillor Hindmarsh . moved as an amendment that tho men should be paid 9s per day. He did not think the wage asked for by the dustmen was too high. The labour they were asked to perform was of a very objectionable kind. Councillor M'Laren seconded the amendment. He was satisfied tho claim that had "been put forward by the men tias not an unreasonable one. Councillor Luke: "The City Engineer was asked to report. Have you that document?" The Mayor : "Yes, it is here." His Worship said them were certain parts of the report whioh should not be matle public. In regard to labourers | no remarks were made by the engineer, as there was a likelihood of a case being brought before the Arbitration Court. Reporting on the refuse carters he said: — "With regard' to tho men employed in collecting house refuse I have to admit these men are employed at unpleasant and heavy duties. I have for some time been on the point of recommending to the j I council a complete reorganisation of the methods at present in vogue in tho col- i leefcion of house refuse. At present one man has a regular beat for which he is responsible. He is required in j , many parts of 'the city to leave his : horse and dray in the street and climb to almost inaccessible places for the purpose of removing the refuse. . . Another serious, objection, js that these men, ntqrd, paHictoWrty fn"wiW ttttSo,''>*B frequently absent through illness, and men strange to the work employed, and frequent complaints from citizens result. I consider the time is,, arriving wherf tho cleansing of the city shall be carried out under the control of a cleansing foreman, such foreman to carry out the work under the district J overseers, the work to be done by gangs, each of not less than four horses i and drays with -drivers, and two addi- j tional men to assist in filling the carts, j Each gang should have a. district at least equivalent in area to the rounds of four of the present carters. By this means better supervision would be obtained and a gang would not be j completely disorganised by the absence of one or two men. Tho work would j not be so difficult and more general satisfaction would be jrivert. The cleansing foreman should also havo charge of the cleansing of the streets under the district 'overseers. I consider the present pay (£2 12s 6d) should be sufficient for the class of work, especially as the men are regularly employed. These drivers at present work under agreement, the period fixed not having expired." The engineer added that he bad not yet ascertained what such work as that outlined above would cost, but an approximate estimate would be £500. per annum. Councillor Luke expressed the opinion that the payment of men employed by the council was as much a matter of interest to the citizens as to tho councillors. He -believed that the council should be fair, even generous ,- but hu had to say that he regretted ' very much that the councillors were being asked to vbte on the recommendations anc'l amendment that night, before they had had Opportunity of properly considering the report. ' _ j Councillor Smith supported tho engineer's recommendations. He did not say that nine shillings was too much or too little, but he did not think the City Council should force the labour market, which was what the proposal would perhaps mean. Councillor Frost did not consider nino shillings per day was too much for a good labourer, if Councillor Hindmarsh would alter Tiis amendment to read "up to nine shillings per day" — which would leave an option with tho engineer — the speaker would vote for the amendment. Councillor Hindmarsh could not see his way to accept the suggestion. Councillor Ballinger was sorry he had not been present when the previous discussion took place, but he wished now to say that the statement made that the ordinary wages of outside casual labourers was 9s a day was a falsehood. Tho ordinary wage was one shilling an honr; even in brickyards that was the scale for labourers. Councillor Hindmarsh's amendment was lost by eight votes to four, after which Councillor* Frost moved a further amendment— in terms of his previous speech— fixing 9s. as the maximum wage, in place of the recommendation brought down by the City Engineer. Councillor Bi»3 seconded this amendment and acquiesced in Councillor Frost's expression o£ opinion. Councillor Carmichae) supported tho proposal to increase wages. He quoted builders' labourers as men .vho received 9s per day and better. Councillor M'Laren objected that the amendment as proposed did away with the minimum wage stipulation. The Mayor replied that no labourer in the council's employ was now paid less than 8s per day. After further discussion the amendment moved by Councillor Frost was carried, and tho report was then adopted.

A statement of tho Otago Harbour Board's operations shown the revenue for 1905 amounted to £76,444, being an inrveasf of £3929 on 'the provious year, the highest yet attained, and that not* withstanding reductions were mad© in dues and shipping charges .n 1904, and in transhipment rages in 1905. .