The Star. MONDAY, JUNE 19, 1893. The Royal Commission on Labour.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 4671, 19 June 1893, Page 2

The Star. MONDAY, JUNE 19, 1893. The Royal Commission on Labour.

The second volume of the report of the English Royal Commission on Labour reached the Colony by the San Francisco mail. It deals fairly, dispassionately and comprehensively with the position of labour matters in India and the Colonies. New Zealand affairs are treated of in connection with those of the Australian Colonies, under the heading Australasia. The information afforded is carried up to the end of last year. The position of the labour question in Australasia— as given by the report — may be summed up in a few extraots from its pages: — " The labour question in Australia and New Zealand is of comparatively recent origin, since in the early days of the Colonies, when labour was scarce and capital plentiful, wages were high and the cost of living disproportionately small. Consequently the condition of the labourer was far superior to that of his fellow-workman at Home j.and it is the struggle to maintain this exceptionally favourable position at a time when labour is over-plentiful, and when capital doe 3 not bring in a sufficient return to encourage ita employment in industrial undertakings, which has embittered the relations between the Australian workman and his employer." "The United Pastoralists, as well as Australian employers in general, axe striving to maintain ' freedom of contract ' or « the right cf each man, whether Unionist or nonUnionißt, to work for whom he likes as long and for what wages he likes j' whilst the labour organisations, on the other hand, are striving for the 'recognition of Unionism,' which they define as • the right of any body of men following any trade or : calling to organise themselves into a Union : for the protection of their rights and in- \ terests.'" Now, the condition of the ' 1 working claases in these Colonies waß, and ' « is, better than that of their fellows at ' i Home, but it has not been better than they ' have a right to expect. The "right of j eaoli man to work for whom lie likes," &a. ' i sounds vary well, but, in practice " free- c dom of contract," which is thus defined, x too often means the right of the employer 8 to employ whom he likes— Kanaka, China- t man or Afghan— as long as he likes, even for • twelve hours or more per day; and at I what wages he liker. As showing th&t this Colony, at all event?, wa3 not exactly \ a working man's paradisa in the early days 0 ■we give another extract. " The first fi

£orma!| recognition of an eight hours working day took place in connection with • the eettlement of Ofcago in New Zealand by the New Zealand Company in 1845, when the Rev Thomas Burns prevailed upon the ' Company to make provision for an eight hours working day. Tbia rale was at first ! carried out, but Mr Fcx, the Company** agent, declared that the Scotch working '. day of ten houra should be observed in the \ new country, and succeeded in compelling ' road making and surveying parties 1o work between nine and ten hours a day for 3a I" '