LAMBERG'S LABORER.

NZ Truth, Issue 146, 4 April 1908, Page 6

LAMBERG'S LABORER.

SINFUL SWEATING AT THE SANDHILLS.

Stableman Sues for His Screw.

Worked 114 Hours Per Week.

Kilbirnie evidently has a number of white slaves m its midst, judging by the evidence m a civil case heard by Dr. Me Arthur, S.M., on Tuesday. It was a case m .which a stableman named Stanley Carpenter, a young married man, sued Frederick Lamberg, contractor, Kilbirnie, for £2 wages allegedly due, and £2 7s Gd for a week's wages m lieu of notice. Mr P. W. Jackson represented plaintiff, and Mr Kirkcaldie appeared for defendant. Larnberg admitted liability for £1 4s, and paid that amount into Court. In .his evidenc-e, Carpenter swore that he began working for Lamberg on January 20th, 1908, as a sandcart driver. He worked from 7 a.m. till 6 p.m. for a wage, of £2 7s ■6.8 a week. On February 13th, Lamberg- took him off the driving and MADE HIM A STABLEMAN, still at the same rate .of wages. But the poor devil's hours were 'considerably increased, viz., from 4 a.m. .to 10 p.m.. Carpenter had to get out of bed at a quarter to four, go to the sandhills at M/iramar, round up 45 horses, drive them to the stables, and tic up, feed, and .water the'' lot. Then he 'was kindly allowed to go home for about three-quarters of an hptr for breakfast. During the morning he had to . clean out Lambert's two smaller stables, mix feed, and get water for the horses' mid-day meal, drive out to the hills the three or four horses not required for the carts, ami such like jobs. After about an hour for limch he had to. clean out the larger stable, 1 and do similar work to his morninp's routine. After another hour for tea, he had to feed and water the horses when they were brought m b^ the carters at 7 p.m., and afterwards drive them out to the sandhills for the night, and then mix more feed for the morning, and so on. On Sundays attention to the horses, ;etc., usually occupied , him from 6 a.m. til] noon. So that poor, white slave had to • WORK 114 HOURS A WEEK for £2 7s 6d, or at the rate' od fiver pence an hour. The utmost sleep Carpenter could obtain was from 10.20 p.m. to 3.45 a.m., or fire and a quarter hours. .On February 24th, after he had endured eleven days of this soulless sweating, he overslept himself, being absolutely knocked up, and 'did not get to work till 5.30 a.m.. The following day, a Tuesday, he got to Work at 8 a.m., through the same cause. On the Wednesday he overslept himself and started work at eight o'clock. At 11.-30 his wife went to the stabks and asked him to at once go home (his house was only a few chains away), as the baby was ill. The illfated Carpenter did so, but returned to work at '2.30 p.m." Then naggerdriver Lamberg came along and promptly sacked him«, but without paying him the wages due to him. The £1 4s paid into Court was supposed to be the amount of wages that plaintiff would be entitled to from the Friday of tbe previous week to the Wednesday, but defendarit omitted to pay m a day's wages which had been owing to plaintiff since the first week he had, •been - m Lamberg's employ, this having been kept m hand for some reason or other. Carpenter's evidence was corroborated to a large extent by that of his wife, that is, as far as she was able to state facts she knew. But the case for the, defence was very weak. Evidence was given by, the bloodsucking Lamberg and his foreman, one Matthews. , Both denied that Carpenter had to work eighteen hours a day, but both . WERE- HAZY ON THE POINT. Both also said they did not think Carpenter was at work on the Monday. Tuesday, and Wednesday referred to above. Neither was certain about it. ■■-' ' .. : Dr. McArthur refused to express any opinion as to whether Carpenter had really 1 worked eighteen hours a day, and then gave judgment for him for 7s 6d over and above the~£l 4s paid into Court, this 7s 6d representing the day's wages held back. He made no allowance for wages m lieu of notice, and only allowed Carpenter Court costs, amounting to 9s,