WORK AND WAGES

Evening Star, Issue 14053, 7 May 1909, Page 11

WORK AND WAGES

TRADES AND LABOR COUNCIL. , The Otago Trades and Labor Council met last evening. It was resolved—“ That in view of the recent regrettable accident which.' caused 1 the 'death of a railway employee named i Burdon, the Minister of Railways be trrgcd [ to issue instructions that in future greater 1 precautions shall be taken in connection with the cleaning of the gas tanks at the railway station.” The matter of individuals speaking in the name of organised Labor at public meetings came up for discufsion, and it was resolved that the Council decline to recognise Mr Steve Boreham as a representative of organised Labor in Dunedin. The following motion was > passed : “That in view of the fact that Or Cole has fairly end impartially administered the business of the Council as chairman of the Tramways Committee, and as O Keast has not served on that Committee in any capacity, this Council regret that His Worship the .Mayor should have gone out of his way to deprive Or Cole of the position he has so honorably filled.” The Council decided to forward the following remits for consideration at the annual Conference of Trades and Labor Councils to bo hold at Wellington in. July : ‘That this Conference affirm the need for a statutory limitation of working hours to forty-four per week as a maximum —eight hours on five days of the week and !• .?. u , re 011 day of the recognised half-holiday. “That all goods manufactured in Yew Zealand shall be branded Made m New Zealand,’ and also bear the manufacturer's name.” “That the Government be urged to establish State farms and flour mills, for the purpose of supplying the people of the Dominion with the staff of life at a reasonable cost.” “ That, in the opinion of this Conference, the time has arrived when the State should snbsitrades unions or other organisations which ensure their* members against unemployment. “ That the Government be urgea to introduce more stringent legislation to prohibit the publication of indecmit, literature.”'- 1 ’That this Conference atm-m the betterment principle in connection with railway construction, with the object of it on a more scientific and equitable basis, in the hope that it will act as a. curb on political influence.” THE BONUS SYSTEM. ur f o ?h M'Lean. interviewed in Christchurch m regard to the Arthur's Pass tunnel, said that great progress is made with the heading at the Otira end! between 41ft and 42ft having been driven to date tins week. It is honed that the total driven will be between 78ft and 80ft. in which case the twenty-sis or twenty-eight men engaged on the work will receive between them as a bonus £l2 0r iI T 1 L , The ms>n are perfectly satisfied with the bonus system. When the ground driven through is exceptionally hard they are not able to advance more than 60ffc or 66ft in a week, though, working with equal zeal, when the ground is good, thev can advance at the rate of 70fb or 80ft per week, and for all in addition t0.,66ft they receive a bonus. By this means they get lull benefit of the good ground. If the nature of the ground does not permit them to do 66ft, they do not receive lees in wages. In -Mr M'Lean's opinion, the men even if they did not get a bonus, would do just as much work, as thev are a good class of men. “It is stated 'bv Labor agitstore, continued Mr M’Lean,‘ “ that those men, by their exertions and by doing extra work, are robbing other men of emplov.isJ€ut, but as a matter of fact, as. far as this particular instance is concerned, it would be impossible to employ more men than are employed, owing to the space beinz confined. b