The British Workman.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 4905, 21 March 1894, Page 1

The British Workman.

The workman's life in London, says W.J.J., in the Oamaru Mail, seems to be one rash from beginning to end. Many toilers Btart for work as early as four o'clook in the morning, and do not return to their homes until late at night, and this goes on week in, week out; but the man in work, although he very often haß to keep going from twelve to sixteen hours per day, thinks himself very lucky to have something to do. With regard to wages for unskilled labour, of course, they are just as low aa it is possible for them to be, and frequently the working man ha? to keep a large family upon something considerably under £1 per week. But still these people "dearly love a lord or an earl," and will as often as not vote for the Conservative* who is virtually pledged to keep them in their present condition. The average British workman is very many degrees below the standard of the colonial labourer. He is of ten too ignorant to know what would really be most to bis advantage, and actually, in many cbbos, requires to be educated materially before he should be trusted with a vote. I am glad to be able to say, however, that this state of things is improving, and that the growing generation of British labourers will not only be in advance of their fathers as regards education, but will be permitted to work much shorter honrß even if they do not gain the much-coveted «• eight hours system." The British workman, althongh he puts in such long hours, does not as a rule hurt himself by working too hard, and it is quite a common thing to see a city corporation labourer, during the process of lifting the pavement, Btand and throw a block about a yard's distance to another man, who in turn transfers it to another, while one of them could have sent it the whole distance without any extra exertion. What Is known here as the " Government stroke" is very prevalent.