WORK AND WAGES.

Evening Star, Issue 9123, 2 May 1893, Page 2

WORK AND WAGES.

[Special to Pbess Association.]

LONDON, April 30. The Hull dockers are depressed, and many of them are famishing.

[Per Press Association.]

LONDON, May 1,

Three thousand London dockers have resolved to go out on strike to-day unless the Shipping Federation men at Victoria Docks are withdrawn.

Mr Burns is averse to the proposed national strike, which he regards as madness, but Mr Keir Hardie and Mr H. Wilson are in favor of the proposal being carried out; (Received May 2,1893. at 11.30 a.m.)

The dockers' strike in London has fizzled out.

[Per United Pbess Association.]

WELLINGTON, May 2.

The Painters' Society have struck ofFthe roll those members who took a co-operative contract to paint the Supreme Court and police station. This was done at the instance of the master painters, who declared tiiat the action of the men was an iufringmeiit of the rule prohibiting members from taking up contracts, and said if it were not stopped they would run their businesses on non-union principles.

The Wellington Federated Tra*les Union Council have (through their secretary) addressed the following letter to the Post-master-General :

Dear Sir,—l have the honor, by direction of my Council, to lay before you some of the effects which result from the system of tendering. The attention of riiy Council has been called to this matter by an advertisement which appears in the local newspapers inviting tenders for lettercarriers' uniform, and, in compliance with the wishes of a large body of workers, decided to givp the matter careful consideration, and after a thorough and exhaustive investigation my Council decided that the whole question should lie laid before you for your favorable- consideration. No doubt you are aware that tlie prevalent .system of tendering by the (inverninent has engaged the attention of one or two of your colleagues for some)'time past, and you will notice, by referring to the remarks made by the Hon. the Minister for Public Works a few days ago with reference to the SunnyRide Asylum works, that he stated "he should consider whether the work could not be more cheaply done by abolishing the contract system." Where practicable, this undoubtedly is a step in the right direction. Now, sir, coming to the question itself, competition is so keen between the masters at the present time that the one who is successful will have to take tlie work at a very low figure, and he will say to the girls who are in his employ that he has taken the job in order to keep his employes together. He will then offer them a certain price and expect the work to be made up. Tlie result is that the work goes to the factories, and the girls, after working the prescribed hours in the factory, are given work to take home, and have to work all hours, very often till early morning, in order to earn a bare existence. The only conclusion that can be arrived at is that there is nothing but systematic sweating on the part of the middleman, into whose pockets almost the whole of the profits go. Under the present system this state of things is unavoidable, as the master tailors who employ men and women at a proper rate of wages cannot compete with proprietors of factories. To mitigate the evils referred to, my Council suggest that a Government tailoring workshop should be established in each of the four centres of the colony, where both,mcn and women Can rind employment at a fair remuneration for their services, and where the class of goods required' can' be turned out almost as cheap. This, perhaps, yoii ' will' feel inclined to doubt, but when you take into consideration tlie fact that the profits at tlie present time are are absorbed by the middleman, and that the Government can go direct to the mills for its material, you will feel inclined to think that there is some truth in this statement. On the other hand, we have our own woollen mills, at which the cost of material would be somewhat higher; but were wo to obtain material from our own mills it would be the means of finding employment, for more hands, and the money would be invested in the colony. The whole question can be considerably enlarged upon, but that is not my Council's intention at tlie present time. The Council simply lias to suggest that the tailoring work required by the Government fur Government llouse, Legislative Council, and House of Representatives liveries, Post and Telegraph, Customs, Marine, Railway, Defence, Minister of Justice, Lunatics, and miscellaneous, bo done at workshops of its own. If the work required by the above departmental is not sufficient to warrant the establishment of four workshops, my Council suggest that one large shop be established in one of the centres. Failing the establishment of shops, my Council ask you to consider the co-operative system, which has in trades proved a success. I have to call your attention to other branches of the service which have workshops attached, and which have proved a great saving to the Government. My Council therefore have to respectfully request that you will give the matter your favorable consideration.