FIVE DAYS’ WORK A WEEK

Taranaki Daily News, 6 May 1931, Page 9

FIVE DAYS’ WORK A WEEK

NECESSITY FOR ECONOMY. ACTION BY INGLEWOOD COUNTY. During June,, July and August no work will be provided for the Inglewood County workmen on Saturday mornings, and they will be employed and paid for ei"ht hours on each of the other five days. The council also decided yesterday to reduce the. councillors’ expenses and the chairman’s honorarium by 16 2-3 per cent., which is a proportionate reduction. The position; will he reviewed at th/ end of three months. After comparison with the salaries paid by other councils to their engineers, and in view of the splendid work of the engineer, who would have been entitled to inci eased palary but for the economic conditions, it was decided no,t to make any reduction in .his salary of- £4OO per anThe chairman (Or. A, Corkill) remarked that in these dqys of economic stress and depression everyone should be prepared to make some sacrifice. Married men with two or three children on unemployed relief work were receiving three days’ work a week at I2s fid a day, and it must be very galling to those men receiving 37s fid a week to have to work alongside county employees receiving £4 a week, and io two cases £5 ss, though he recognised that in one of the latter cases the man was being paid for two or three dif* ferent jobs. The ratepayers were making heavy sacrifices by way of reduced income, and he thought the men should be prepared to make some sacrifice.

.RELIEF FOR RATEPAYERS.

It was necessary that ratepayers should obtain as much relief as possible. There were three ways in which that relief could be given—by reducing wages, reducing the number of hands or of the time worked—and he favoured the latter course. If Saturday morning work were eliminated and the time reduced to five days of eight hours each it would considerably reduce overhead costs of gettingJup steam and running trucks a considerable’ 'distance for half a day s work, and the saving in wages would incan. a saving 0f..£600 a . year. Moreover, with the short days at this season of the year it was difficult-for the men to work 8J hours a <jay. Such a scheme, he thought,.,’.would give welcome relief to the ratepayers .and would be better than dispensing with men and adding to the number of unemployed. Councillor. Stuart' saidthe council would not be doing its duty to the ratepayers if it did. not effectively tackle the position. The sheep farmers had been very hard hit and in some cases had no income, whilst the dairy farmers had to accept a very considerable reduction. As private men they could not continue to pay their. own staffs the same wages because they did not have the money, and as representatives of the ratepayers they should ask the staff- to make a small sacrifice which, he felt, would be loyally accepted. The Government had given a lead which should be followed. It was the duty of the council to try to keep as many of its staff as possible. Councillor Hunter agreed, that it was “up to the men” to fall into line and bear a little of the sacrifice. The dairymen would have their ’ income reduced 50 per cent, and some of the sheep men would receive nothing. As a sheep farmer Cr. Jones said he appreciated the losses. He would favour going even further than the chairman suggested and reducing the time to four days a week. Councillor Stachurski said he could not endorse the proposal to reduce the men to four days a week as he did not think it would then be possible for tne men to make a living. The men who were receiving three days’ w'ork at 12s Gd a day could hardly exist. He wou.l as an expedient favour cutting the time down to five days a week. Councillor Grieve said he did not consider it fair to compare the staff with unemployed relief men as the latter were being found -work to provide just sufficient money to alleviate distress. SUFFICIENT TO KEEP ROADS. Councillor Cowley favoured employing the men five days a week for four months. He considered that would be sufficient to keep the roads in order. He had never favoured the Saturday half holiday for the men. Councillor Brown agreed that something had to be done and that if matters became worse even more drastic reductions might be necessary. • The engineer did not favour the proposal to reduce wages, pointing out that the loss of time worked would mean a reduction of income totalling 10 2-3 per cent. . The chairman moved that the men be employed five days of eight hours each week. Thjs was seconded by Cr. Cowley. Councillor Stuart said he thought the engineer’s salary also should be reduced, although he was perfectly satisfied with Mr. Judd’s work. The chairman drew attention to the vast amount of work that the unemployment relief schemes had placed on the engineer. In' fact, he did not think there was any engineer in Taranaki working longer hours or doing better work. The system introduced by the engineer and clerk had resulted in a very considerable saving. In two items alone there was a saving of over £lOO a year.

The chairman added to hie motion that

councillors’ expenses be reduced 10 per cent, and the chairman's honorarium by 25 per cent. Councillor Jones eulogised the work of the chairman. He said he had worked very hard in the interests of the ratepayers. Tie did not consider the chairman’s honorarium was conimensm'Mp with the work he did. In any case it should not be. reduced more than the councillors’ expenses. Councillor Brown said that it was. very pleasing to learn the salaries paid to other county engineers., as that would be a complete answer to those who would complain that the council had reduced its pick and shovel men and had left its engineer and staff .alone. Councillor Cowley - said- he was -prepared to second the motion.if the chairman would omit the portion relating to his honorarium. That the chairman declined to do.

Councillor Stachurski then moved as an amendment that the men be employed five days of eight hours a week and that the expenses of the councillors and the honorarium of the chairman be reduced 16 2-3 per cent. This was seconded by Cr. Willans and carried.