A WORRIED COUNCIL

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 76, Issue 243, 14 October 1933, Page 8

A WORRIED COUNCIL

PIECE-WORK DIFFICULTIES WOULD NEW SYSTEM WORK? WANGANUI COUNTY DISCUSSION. “The whole thing brittles with difficulties,’’ was the general comment of members of the Wanganui County Council yesterday morning after a lengthy discussion with regard to the piece-work or contract system which it is proposed by the Unemployment Board to institute as a system of relief work in place of the existing schemes. The council, which hag the majority of relief workers tn its district engaged on farm work, desires to see that conditions prevail which ar® suitable both to the men and the farmers. At the moment, and in view of the rather indefinite instruction! from the board, it cannot see that the new system would be an improvement on existing conditions. At. the present time, 234 of its relief workers arc engaged on 78 farms, averaging some three men to each farm. A circular letter has been sent to these farmers asking them whether . they would be prepared to engage the'■« men under the piece-work system. This " would involve the payment of 25 per cent., in advance, of the amount of the work to be done. The farmer would be required to provide the contract and name a price lor it. He would also be allowed to select his own men. Of the 78 farmers approached, only five have stated their willingness to participate in the new scheme, while 13 have agreed to carry on under the present "over the fence” scheme, contribute 25 per cent, of the cost and numbers from their repertoire, and the provide their own men. The majority of farmers claim that there would be difficulty in providing contract work for the numerous small jobs to be done on the farm, while others state that the men they employ would be worse off under the contract scheme as they are paid more now than they could receive under the now system. If the men are not employed on the farms but on the county roads many difficulties will again crop up, for the men, being allowed eight to twelve days a month each would have to be divided into a number of gangs each with separate contracts, which would involve extensive supervision. Is is stated that the contract system will ~ allow the relief workers to earn their allocation per month in a shorter time and thus have an opportunity of securing casual work before they are again eligible for further relief work. The board, it is understood, has laid down no hard and fast rules with regard to the contract system. Cr. D. Mackintosh, chairman of the council, said he had spoken to several relief workers, who appeared to be quite in favour of the scheme provided they were allowed to select their own mates, and that any contract they were engaged in would not be cut down in price while the work was in process. While admitting that the present system was unsatisfactory, it seemed absurd to enter into another system which might also prove unsatisfactory, said Mr. K. K. Dawson, tho engineer. If the county was compelled to carry out the piece-work system it would mean that the men would not go on the farms, in view of the few replies received from the farmers, and that work would have to be found for them on the roads, in which case a. number of points would have to be considered. In the first instance suitable work •could only be found 1U or 20 miles out of town, which involved a costly ques- ™ tion of setting up a camp and would probably result into a system of transport, equally expensive. The setting out. of small contracts representing eight to twelve days’ work per man per month and the supervising of some 40 gangs would be no small job. In assessing a contract price the ability of the men engaged would have to bo considered and lacy would require to be classed into suctions. After allowing for travelling, thu actual working time per day would not oe more than o| hours, including a loss of time due to wet weather, ine only alternative would be to set up a camp, which would add to the men’s living expenses. Gangs would necessarily bo small and numerous, and adjustment of payment from time to time would be required owing to men being unable to do their work from legitimate or other reasons. Contracts would also be required for these men to allow them to make up then time and receive their allocation. There would also be a grave danger, owing to the smallness of the jobs, and required adjustments, of a system ut guess work evolving, thereby defeating the object of piecework. “1 feel it is my duty to place those aspects before the council, because if i carried the system out and failed, 1 would be the buffer for all hands and | the cook,” said Mr. Dawson. In the general discussion which followed, Cr. T. Mitehell said that a contract of eight or twelve days a month on a farm would not be of much use. Cr. W. J. Craig pointed out that a contract tor £5O say, could be cut out in a fortnight. Payment to the men would be spread out over the following three months, for instance, during which time the men would be at liberty to see other employment. ( r. Mackintotsh: The board is pr» pared to give a lot of latitude. It was decided to leave the matter to the chairman, the engineer, and the ilcrk (Mr. G. Darbyshire) in the meantime.