THE CORPORATION LABORER.

NZ Truth, Issue 56, 14 July 1906, Page 4

THE CORPORATION LABORER.

In last issue "Truth" ventured the assertion that the Corporation laborers, who plucked up spirit enough to petition the Council for an increase m their wages, would find themselves shut out from the sympathy' of the City Fathers when the estimates came up for consideration. So. far, that prognostication has proved correct. The Council at its last meeting had. the opportunity of dealing with the request, but shelved it. The Mayor was anxious' to go to the ball m the Town Hall, and Councillors seemed only too willing to oblige him and let important municipal matters go by the board. These employees presented their petition for an increase to the Council, through Cr. Frost, a fortnight ago, when the Council decided that the matter should go to the Finance Committee for their consideration and for report to the whole Council. As the Finance Committee was then dealing with the estimates it was natural enough to presume that such a matter would have had that Committee's immediate attention ; instead of which the Finance Committee shelved it. They sent it back to the Council as a whole and that Council was shamed into at least dealing with it as a committee, but as the mazy waltz was going oh below, and the Mayor's trotters were, like McFadden's, quite "unasv," the matter was further shelved for a fortnight, when it is to be hoped that the

working man m fyie Council employ will be treated justly. And it might be remarked parenthetically that municipal councils of districts where the cost of living is not within cooee of Wellington, are increasing their laborers' wages without half the fuss made by the Wellington Council. This year a 2d rate is to be struck and ratepayers are complaining of it. They have just cause ! The Finance Committee, without a blush, have popped on huge increases to the screws of the City Engineer, Treasurer, Valuator and their staffs, officials already amply salaried, but the working man's claim has yet to be considered, and stands a big chance of being dumped out into the cold. But to the credit of a few of the Councillors this unfair comparison is not to be given effect to without a fight. Last year the Council fixed a maximum of salary, yet the Finance Committee this year proposes, m the case of favored employees, to go over, the maximum, and, as straws show the way the wind folbws, the remark of the Mayor, when reminded of last year's resolution, "that the action of this Ooun* cil is not to be governed by that of the last," shows that the Mayor, who is chairman of the Finance Committee, is prepared to resist any attempt on the part of independent Councillors to stem this tendency .to benefit one class of employee at the expense of" another. ''Truth" will watch developments carefully and keep the ratepayers posted on events m this direction.