L—9a.

4

E. CABEY.

16. You have been arguing from the standpoint of the big employer, and I rightly concede in reference to them that they can facilitate a good deal of what you ask for, although I do not agree with your figures. 1 certainly think the effect of the Bill, taking it all round, would be to reduce the efficiency- of the individual and drive business into the bigger concerns, which 1 think would be detrimental to the interests of any country?—My answer to that is that there is a power behind the small individual driving him into the corporations, and the question of a six-day week is a mere flea-bite to that power. 17. Mr. McLaren.] You said you represented the local Cooks and Waiters' Union: do you also represent other workers? —Yes, I know I am not only representing the workers in the organization, but also the female workers who do not get the half-holiday in the country that they are entitled to. 18. In reference to this award of the Wages Board of Sydney, is this the clause: " One day's holiday shall be given in establishments open on seven days a week " ?-— Y r es. Then' is a further provision that those who are working in six-day establishments shall also be given a half-holiday. 19. Are you making a request that there shall be one day off?—lrrespective of what goes to make the total week's work by legislation, which we prefer, or by award of the Arbitration Court, which we may seek later on. The employers may perhaps give evidence that in certain seasons of the year it would be impossible to give the employees the holiday—such as race week or Easter week, when there is a rush. Well, we are not at all pig-headed about it, and we agree that the convenience of the employer might be considered on those occasions, and are prepared at such times to agree that the weekly holiday shall be foregone for four or five times a year only ; provided that the holidays are made up at the end of the year, and provision is made for the Labour Department being asked in the first place for a permit to suspend the holiday. 20. Do you make a claim that the twenty-four hours- off shall be inclusive or exclusive of the half-holiday at present allowed?—l do not think Parliament would attempt to deprive those in our trade who already enjoy a whole Sunday 7 off of the half-holiday they already enjoy. I think an amendment might be put in the Bill safeguarding the half-holiday at present enjoyed by those working only six days now. But the claim we make is for the majority of workers—because the majority in our trade, excepting in hotel-bars and a few tea-rooms, consist of men and women who work seven days a week. We should be very grateful if the Government and Parliament will give us the whole day we are asking for. 21. If the hotels were closed, would it affect your employment—would there still be as many employed in restaurant-work?—ln the Windsor Hotel, the Columbia Hotel, and the Coffee Palace— which is a sixpenny restaurant—there are as many men employed as there are in any hotel, except perhaps in the three largest, and they are only new establishments. 22. Are there any instances where the employers at present concede the one day off?— No. In some cases the employees get a week's holiday a year, and in some cases where men have asked for a fortnight they have got it, but have had to pay for it. In my case I worked a whole 365 da3 T s in the year and never had one day off; and that is the position of many men. It is because of these hardships that many are leaving the trade, and join the tramway service or follow other occupations in which they can get a little relaxation from work. 23. Mr. Bollard.] How do you propose to deal with an hotelkeeper or restaurant-keeper who employs, say, thirty hands—how do you propose that the employees in such ail establishment shall get off on the Sunday? —In an hotel employing thirty hands it would be divided into four departments. Upstairs there would be two or three housemaids to look after the rooms, in the kitchen there would be tyvo or three men, and in the dining-room there would be several waiters. We know that two general hands would be able to do the cleaning-work now done by the waiters and cooks, and they could be employed at the present award wages of £1 ss. a week. In that case the cost would only be £2 10s. a week more. 24. How would you regulate it so that they each would have the Sunday off?— Sunday or Monday will suit us, or any other day. We only want the one day's holiday in the week. Any day other than Sunday would suit us. 25. Hon. Mr. Millar.] How can you say that in houses with thirty employees two men are going to do it?—lt was said when the half-holiday was brought about that there would be difficulties. The dinner is the main meal, when all the men are required to be present, and it was said that that would mean extra employment, but we know that it has not meant extra employment. 26. You would have to have a relieving staff or extra hands kept in each department to enable the employees to get their holiday?—l could so arrange it that even in the largest hotel the employment of two extra hands would meet the case, and easily allow of the six-day week. 27. That is, one male and one female. They have no surplus hands now upstairs in hotels, and, say there are twenty rffoms, who would do the rooms? —They are done now under the arrangement for the half-day without extra expense, so that it could be done without much difficulty in the way I have suggested, 28. Are you aiming at five and a half days' work a week?—l am not, sir. 29. You said you wanted the half-day as well? —Take, for instance, the case of barmaids. There are roughly from eighty to a hundred barmaids working in Wellington to-day—at any rate, sixty or eighty. Those girls at present get a half-holiday on one day during the week. On Sunday most of them have a good time, and are not required to work in the bar. Although the girls are not in my union it would' not be fair for me to come here and ask for a six-day week and by getting that debar those girls from getting the half-daj' during the week which they have already. Provided the girls' interests are safeguarded, we should be satisfied for a good many years with the full day only. 30. Mr. McLaren.] You want the full day as the minimum?— Yes, we want the full day.