FIVE TIMES AS FAST

Greymouth Evening Star, 19 July 1913, Page 2

FIVE TIMES AS FAST

HOW THE BONUS-GETTER WORKS,

Mr Justice Keydon had' before him, in (lie Industrial Court at Sydney last week, an application by Harold Stanley Barker, an employee of tiie Chief Commissioner of Railways at Randwick tram sheds. Compkdntant said he was engaged as an armature winder, such work being of the same class, and clone under similar circnmstah-' cea, to that of an armature winder not employed by the Government, and that, for such work, the wage rate iiad been fired by the award of the Electrical Trades Board, and that complainant was not paid the full wages of 11s. but only 9s per day. The Chief Industrial Magistrate had decided against appellant, and he appealed to the Court. Me McLaurin (instructed by the Solicitor for Railways) appeared for the Commissioner, and lilr Croft for the Electrical Trades Union, of which appellant is a member.

His Honor said that as soon as a man was put on a bonus rate he worked five times as fast as when ho was on weekly wages. “If that fact were made public,” ho added, ‘it would excite absolute amazement. It amazes me beyond expression. I cannot find words to express my astonishment at a system under which a man works, day after day, one-fifth as fast as he can work, or does work, when he is put under the bonus system.” Nil’ MacLaurin said that it was the opinion of the authorities that the only thing to do was to Introduce the bonus s} stem. Mr Croft: That can be explained. His Honor: I remember Sir William Owen, when replying to counsel on a certain occasion, saying, “Anything can be explained.” Mr Croft said that the bonus work lasted only four hours, and the man worked very hard. His Honor said the case was an important one. and that he would reserve his decision.