SUNDAY LABOUR ON THE GOLDFIELDS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 10454, 28 May 1897, Page 3

SUNDAY LABOUR ON THE GOLDFIELDS.

TO THE EDITOB. Sir,—Sunday working in connection with milling machinery for the treatment of gold and silver-bearing ores, came in with the pan process, and it was first introduced in America. The reason for this was that pan treatment to be effective, had to be continuous. It was not possible to start a pan charged with ore after it had been hunt; up for, say, 5M hours, because, in tin: meantime, the ore would consolidate and stop the miiller revolving. To attempt starting a pan plant, whether large or small, under those circumstances, would involve a heavy strain on belting and machinery, resulting in breakages, and all to no pnrpose—hence Sunday working became i necessary evil. To a large extent, as has beea very clearly shown by Mr. James Russell, the same remarks will apply to the general working of a cyanide plant, which must either be run continuously or shut down altogether, and persons who contend otherwise have not taken the trouble to make themselves acquainted with the alphabet of the business. Although it is necessary for Rome of the men working in the cyanide department to be in their places full nine, it can scarcely be contended that stamping ore on Sunday is either needful or advantageous. Apart from » religions view of the case, I think Sunday can be devoted to overhauling the machinery and effecting requisite repairs, and this would give most of the men employed in dry crushing plants a few hours breathing time once every week. In mills where this is not done it is quite a common occurrence to find five or ten head of stampers in hospital (luring the week; so that after all, at the end of the year, there is very little gained in running continuously. During the controversy on the above subject a good deal has been said by some of your correspondents about the grasping greed of the capitalist, who is charged with sacrificing the lives of men, and defying the laws of God anil man in his pursuit of filthy lucre. It appears to be the generally received opinion that all shareholders in a gold mining company must of necessity lie capitalists. This doctrine is advanced again and again with the evergreen innocence born of ignorance. Generally speaking shareholders in gold mining companies are made up of menknd women with small mean3—people who are drawn into gold mining ventures by the possibility of securing a larger percentage on their money than is offered by any other class of investment. Nothing, however, is ever said about the greed of the working man, who never misses a chance of putting in u shift on Sunday, for the simple reason that lie invariably leceives what is teennically termed " time and a-half" ior such employment. In fact, the matter of worker no work on Sunday is entirely in the hands of the working men themselves. They have only got to rake a firm stand, and say we wit not do any work that is not absolutely necessary on Sunday, and thenceforward unnecessary work must cease for all time. I am speaking with a thorough knowledge of the facts of the case when I eay that & prebiscite of the mill hands, throughout the whole of the goltlfields, taken to-morrow, would undoubtedly result in a large majority being in favour of Sunday work—so long as there is extra pay hanging on to it.—l am, etc., Asti-Hcmbcg.