PIECEWORK ADVOCATED

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22775, 8 July 1937, Page 10

PIECEWORK ADVOCATED

MR. SEMPLE GIVES ADVICE MEN WHO WATCH THE CLOCK [BT TELEGRAPH PRESS ASSOCIATION J WELLINGTON, Wednesday "If you'll take a tip from me, you ought to put the men on piece-work so that we won't have the spectacle that we have had all over New Zealand of men leaning on their shovels waiting for 4 o'clock,'' said the Minister of Public Works, the Hon. R. Semple. speaking to local body representatives at the conference held at Wellington to-day to discuss proposals for placing in useful work men now on sustenance. Mr. Semple urged that every effort should be made to see that value was obtaiued for public money spent. "If the men are getting a decent wage you should see that they do a decent day's work," he said. He was not blaming the men, he added. Many of them had probably never worked before; had not had the opportunity to learn to work; had had no incentive to work; or had forgotten how to work; but if that were allowed to continue when their wages were increased, their morale would be destroyed. "My experience." said the Minister, "is that if you give a man something to work for. he'll work all right—unless you get the double-barrelled imposter. and the thing to do with hirn is to dump him instantly."