PIECEWORK, CONTRACT, OR DAY LABOUR.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume I, Issue 51, 10 February 1911, Page 9

PIECEWORK, CONTRACT, OR DAY LABOUR.

DISCUSSED BY THE HASTINGS COUNCIL. PRESENT SYSTEM TO BE CONTINUED. A special meeting the Hastings Borough Council was held last evenimr to consider Mr. Climie s recommendation th.;’, the balance of the -•■•.ver.-.yt- woik (pipe layiim excepted) be let I»y coniract; and :<) consider the qmx-iion oj substituting cast-iron pipes for concrete pipes in wet ground. ;inu calling tenders for same.

His Worship the Mayor (Mr. J. A. Miller) and the following councillors were present :—W . Hart, T. Styles, I>. C. McCormick. J. Garnett, T. Donovan. S. (f. Clapliain, and M. Mason.

The Mayor explained that the sub-committee, consisting of Crs. Hart. Donovan. McCormick, and himself, had met yesterday .afternoon to discuss the matter, and

after due consideration they had decided to recommend to the council that, in face of the present contract with Mr. McGalfin, by which he was to supply pipes at the rate of five chains per day only, the contract system was inadvisable unless the terms were altered. The fact that winter was coming, on which would probably mean a reduction in the work, the committee rfromnicnded that the present system of pi< • work should be coii-

t inued. Cr. Hart said he had gone fully into the matter, and in the let img of the work by contract they would be confronted with an insurmountable difficulty, because the contractor supplying the pipes could not provide them as quickly as they wotted b eneeded. lie considered the cooperative system was very satisfactory, and they were getting good work done by it. Speaking with regard to the validity of the piece-work system. Ur. Hart quoted section 134 of the Municipal Corporations Act. whicn ' reads as follows It shall be lawful for the council to make any con tract for work or day labour to be j done on the cooperative system 11 meaning thereby at a price, ami subject lo cmidiihms fixed by the j voum.-ib to any value or amount ■ wit ho-.it vailing for pubin: i. ’■■r ■o- it •.-•■lf carry out m h work or I -mpl iv sueh labour without the mson of a contractor.” IL ) 1 ;he recoil’'Hernial pm ■ * ‘ . t mi<t < v L<* miop' eI. P- - ; , i•. !i. v. • u-t. :<

Cr. St vics said t Imt J'rom a co-; . vermilion u'tb -Mr. i-uiiue■, he J l *-”! lea.-:.: that it vmuiii mirere: r'‘. for the cord met or to suj'piy U iv ■ pipes tiuickly miom.’h .<> allow c;.--v ork Io be vontpie-H’d by rare.; He objected to a man being taken., off day work ami put <>n piece-wont _ and vice -versa. He. considered H would be better to place the whom n f th. men on the same tooting.; and this could be done by putting; them on day labour. A great ‘ ; of the results obtained depended >-a ; proper dupes vision. XX bile he was, in favour of considering ihe n>en S; side of the question, they liad a.y: the ratepayers’ tn’'wests Io lomc | ntt »’!*. • •» i ! Cr. Clapham sum he onsidei ‘d - the pi.we-work syM-m as a retro-, cws-rn’ step. Hr bdmved ihat -t . tc.e council laid been consulted .'d f the proper t ime, it would never , have >■'>»«• nt.cd to any alteimioii in ,

' heir i.0!:.-y of day la‘>onr. I lie ?4avor : Xou hai e no .iglu. :<> vay that. The paoed a resolution, and you should stand ly : liai. I’,’. ( b The i< solimi wom passed under pec'miar erreuinsennees.. The Mover: !.<'• earn. cr>unrilb’ r speak tor imnselt. 1 imt is only

yciir ojjimon. Cr. < ’hipham : l iiey c.-'ii do so. 1 have given min*". 1 have a j t-|.ci light to express n:y opinion i»i tin.milter. Continuing. Cr. (.'lapham said I'-'-was in sympathy with the remaik ihai they should safeguard the inter- -is of the ratepayers as wi ll as the workers, but the interests of th*-* ratepayers could be better guarded by proper supervision <»r the men than in any other way. Under proper supervision they woidd get good work for a fair wage. They should never have de parted from the day labour system. Cr. Donovan was strongly in favour of day labour, and considered that if they had a competent staff of gangers to supervise, and paid the men at the rate of 1 l.j per hour, the council would save mom v. He instanced where the Napier Harbour Board had saved! something like TlO.nuO in two years bv substituting day labour tor con-, tract. IB* nioied as an amend-j meat that the balance of the sew-I erage work be carried out by day labour.- Seconded by Cr. Clapliam. 1 Cr. Garnett said he understood i that the council had lost the case; brought by the Inspector of j

Awards. He was out and out in favour of day labour, which, if carried out under proper supervision, would be fai’ more satisfactory. He supported the amendment. Cr. McCormick said that the present system was by far the fairest to all. The men were not all equal in their working capacity—one man might be able to earn 10,- a day without exerting himself, whereas an old man might have to work twice as hard to earn 7/-. Cr. Donovan said that a man w ho was nut able to earn more than 7/- a day con’d'get a permit from the Sergeant of Police to work under the award rate.

The Mayor said that piece-work had been decided on to give all ratepayers a chance of getting work, but it had been discovered that under the Act piece-work was illegal. The borough solicitors had stated that if the council had drafted a resolution dealing with the system they would have been able to contest the case more satisfactorily. As a result of the recent action brought’ by the Inspector of Awards, they would be compelled to pay a minimum of 8/- per day. Mr. Gohmp had informed him that the to make a

separate contract piece i f work, and as long as a man was eaining at least 8/- per day the award would be complied with. He (the Mayor) considered that the council, should work out an average day’s work for an average man, and if they thought that a man was capable of doing 8 yards in eight hours, then anyone who was not able to do the same amount should make room for one who was. Those w ho were able to do over the specified amount should receive a bonus. He was in favour of adhering to the piece-work system. In replying, Cr. Hart said that

the only argument put forward in favour of day labour was proper supervision. Where, he asked, were they going to get it if they were not getting it now/ No ar- 1 gument had been put forward on behalf of the poor unfortunates who were not able to earn 8/- per day, and who could not get a permit from the Magistrate without i the consent of the secretary of the union. .

The* amendment, that the re i mainder of the sewerage work be done by day labour, was put to the meeting, and lost on the easting of the Mayo: - , the voting being as follows: For: (,'rs. Donovan. i latitei t. Clapham and Styles :

a : .i : The Mayor. ( rs. Hurt, Mar.on, ami MeCm m:rk-. The on'tin al motion. " That thr rc'/omon joL'tiOii aj- ; in* sab-com-i nil tec. to the effect that the pres; ■.ll sy st e!n of piece-work be co > - tinned,” was carried. LEV."Lit PIPES. The' recommendation of Mr. Uiimie that easl-inm pipes be substituted for concrete pipes in wet ground, was withdrawn by leave of the council.

In reg'ly io Ur. Clapliam, Mr. Climie said that liis reason for withdrawing- the suggestion was (liat they Mould have to delay the work while the pipes were being made. He was in favour of the cast-iron pipes in wet ground. The east iron pipes would mean a saving of about £3O. Cr. Styles drew attention t.o the fact ihat tin- sewer trench in Frederick street had been taken down to a considerably greater depia than provided for in the original {‘.laris. He had been told that this section of the- sewer would cost ;i.n audit ‘i: .il 2 iQO to the est imat from what be had seen he thought that it would he nearer £590. He In.-ped that the oilier portions of ike borough would not have to sufi.er im this mwouut.

* in reply. Mr. Ciimie stated ihai: jke was ivor’rmg on the plans pro-' i P" red by 3lr. Hallett am! n.T>pi - oved : <■( by tiie coiim-il, and on the lim’ : ;of Hie sewir in Frederick street' piie trench was one foot shallower' ; than ike depth provirkd for in the ' plans. In some of the streets the! 1 excavations had been from three to | I Hve feet shallower than originally ■ [intended. ; j The Mayor explained that a reso-’

, hit ion had been passed by the coun- ; <*il to the effect that both sides of j the borough were to receive an . equal proportion of expenditure. Ho also pointed out that the work | of lay ing the sewer on the eastern , side of the town would be com- ; meneed as soon as the steel pipm ■ arrived for making the joints under i the railway lines. They were also Jawaiting a reply from the Railway : Department for permission to pro- , coed with the work. ! The matter was then allowed to ‘drop, and the meeting adjourned