WORKMEN'S WAGES BILL.

Grey River Argus, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5554, 23 July 1886, Page 4

WORKMEN'S WAGES BILL.

[PROiVI OUR CORRESPONDENT.]

Wellington, July 21,

At the sitting of the House on Friday evening last, on the motion of the Minister for Public Works for going into committee on the Workmens Wages Bill, Mr Guinness moved that the Order of the Day be postponed till Tuesday. The bill was one tending so to speak in the direction of protecting the interests of workmen, but to his mind it did not go far enough. He intended to move certain amendments in the direction of giving to workmen and servants the right to recover from the employer wages from the date of discharge till the date of payment of the wages. Many cases of hardship had arisen in which persons who had been working for days, weeks, and months, - found their engagement terminated and it became necessary to demand payment of wages the employer made excuses and did not pay them for some time afterwards. The workmen had in many instances 'to wait for a considerable time, either through having recourse to law, or being put off by excuses by the employer. It could easily be understood what a hardship it was'to men to be kept in this uncertain position in regard to the payment of wages due' to them. The clauses ho proposed to remedy : the evil cota ; ned no new principle, as lihe* House last session inserted a clause in the Shipping and Seamans' Act Amendment Act, which provided that if the wages were not paid within two days of the termination of the service, except in case of reasonable dispute as to liability, or in default or neglect of the servant, the wages could be recovered by the servant against the master. If it was right to apply that principle in tho case of seamen, it was right to apply it- also in the case of. workmen employed by the day, the week, the month, or even tho j'ear. He moved as an amendment the postponement of the committal of the Bill, so that his amendment might appear in the Supplementary Order Paper. Mr W. F. Buckland seconded the amendment. The House divided on the question "That tho bill be committed presently." Ayes 27— Barron, Beethan, Cowan, B.uncan, Fraser, Gore, Larnadh, Locke, M'Millan, Moat, Montgomery, Peacock, W.,RW!&Tdson, Seddon, Smith, Steward, W. J , Stout, Sutter. Taylor, Thomson, J. W., Tole, Turnbull, Yo<?el, Wakefield, Walker, Bevan, M'Kenzie, J. Noea 30— Brown, Bruce, Bryce, Buchanan, Bucklanc*, Cadman, Connolly, Fulton, Grey, Hamlin, Hatch, Hislop, Hobbs, Hursthouse, Iveßs, J. C. Joyce. Kerr, Macarthur, M'Kenzie, M., Menteath, Newman, Pearson, Reese, Richardson, G., Rolleston, Russell, Thompson, T., Whyte, Buckland, W. F., Guinness. , Majority against 3. The amendment was agreed to, and the ' Order of the Day postponed till Tuesday. I