PAY ON PUBLIC WORKS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVI, Issue 17294, 18 October 1919, Page 13

PAY ON PUBLIC WORKS.

j Sir.- 1 notice a statement ha* been i made in the Herald to the effect that Sir j William Friser has announced his retireI mem. at the end of the present session of 1 Parliament. ff the present system of paying the workers employee! by the Public Work# Department retires with ; him it will result in better wages (for j those worthy of them) being paid, and be I o! great value to the country in general, j On these works a system prevails which, ; in effect, means the less you 'do the more I wares you receive. A prir*> is tixed. a ■ gane: takes the job on. and makes good ' wajes. Next month on" or tvvi. inferior ■ worker? are introduced into the pang 1 in ; order to lower the rate formerly earned iat the job High earnings are absoj Intelv against the interests of those who I fix the prices for the job. An inspector ! informed me some lime ago that he put a prtoe on a, job, and started six workers on it. 'They made (being all first-rate workers) very good wages. his inspects was immediately taken to task by headquarters, who considered, in view of the amount earned, that the price was too high. Yet the price v.as similar to ,hat usually paid for that cla-ss of work. The inspector concluded his remarks bysaving that a gang earning more than the usual low rate did him an injury, for it cast a reflection upon his ability to estimate the price of the work. 'So now, boys, a nod is as good as » wink to a 3

1 v*_„ blind horse." The • Department issaes contracts to the workers, and insists on time-sheets being kept, and handed over to their officials. This enables the officials tr. calculate the amount earned per diem by the workers- If the. rate is high the price is either lowered, or inferior workers, introduced. Now, this state of affairs sadly needs readjustment Many ol us, pushed by the extra cost of living, are doing ;,i] we possibly can to keep our families in a reasonable manner, but our tiforts are, and wiLl be. m Tain as ]o!;_; a.- such a system operates. In fact, ih.e whole system is an insult to a man's intelligence. Fix a price, and pa-, fcv r< suits, is -what most business men do. and payment by results is what mn=i • rker* want, and, I may add. are entitled to. When the rate of par :s .-r.-rj * worker either leaves th ori-.s, or t-akes vp? v good care that the Department does not again have the opportunity of peiutiisi!:.him for working very hrtrd". Th» = .-'ph. j also is responsible frr much of the imiu- | trial unrest, that prevails upon these i -works. j Worker . ! ~