I.—9a.

18

[E. STEWART.

a cook washing up. Of course, they have to do it. They do it in New Zealand in dozens oi' places, and they are only too glad to do it. I would not stand back from washing a few plates and things like that. lam always ready to study the interests of my employer. 39. Hon. Mr. Mastey.] What hours did you say were worked in Australia? —Sixty hours for cooks, sixty-three for kitohenmen, and fifty-eight for all other employees. 40. What arc the hours in New Zealand? —I think sixty-two. 41. Sixty-two for all men ?■—Yes. 42. You think that, on the whole, conditions are easier in Australia than in New Zealand — 1 am speaking from tin' point of view of the employee?— Yes, they are. 43. How long were you in Australia I—Over1 —Over two years. 44. The Chairman.] Yon spoke of' the third hand as being ;i oompetent man. although he is not actually a cook. Do you suggest that lie should receive the >aine wages as a cook? —No; but under present conditions the wages paid to tin third hand in the kitchen are not really sufficient. He does not get sufficiently well paid, because he has to do the second conk's work when the second cook has got to do the chef's work, and when the second cook is off the kitehenman has to do his work again on top of that. You cannot get a good man for the wages paid, and the result is that the employers have great trouble in getting a good man. The inducement of the trade are not sufficient to keep him in the trade. They can find something better outside. 1 found the greatest difficulty in getting good men for kitchen-work. 45. If he took the second cook's place, the third man would have to be a competent man?— He should be a man capable of doing a second cook's work. 46. What you suggest really is, then, thai if the man i< unfit for anything else than washing dishes he should be thrown out altogether?—Oh, no. 47. You have just told us that he should be a competent man! —In a first-class hotel there is a man who has got to cook the vegetables and suchlike, and he has to prepare the potatoes and numerous other things like that. He has to get the material ready for the cook. 48. Hon. Mr. Millar.] Do you state that sixty hours were laid down in the award? You knocked off on the Friday night, and did not start again till the Monday morning? —Our week started on Sunday mortiing and finished up on Saturday night; but on every alternate week I got two days off, Saturday and Sunday, and also a half-holiday in each week. The stove cook and myself worked in conjunction. 49. You worked sixty hours one week? —Yes. 50. How many the next week? —I started on the Monday, and I finished up on the Saturday night, and had a half-day off as well during the week. I worked sixty hours. 51. And the next week you started on Monday morning and you knocked off on Friday night? —Yes; and I also had a half-holiday. 52. That is fifty-five hours?— Yes. 53. How did you put your sixty hours in in that week? —I had also worked on the previous Sunday. .">4. Mr. Anderson.] Before the award was brought in in Australia did the Hotel Australia give the day off?— Yes, they always gave time off at the Hotel Australia. .">."). Did they always work the employees six days a week? —Yes. that is why they got it adopted there. 56. In answer to Mr. Millar just now I understood you to say that you worked sixty hours a week. Did I understand you to say that your work started on the Sunday and ended on the Saturday?— Yes. 57. You started on Monday and finished off on Friday night : that is one week?— Yes. 58. Then you had two days off, Saturday and Sunday?— Yes. •">!>. Then you started the following week on the Monday morning and went on till the Saturday night?— That is so. 60. Then you started the next week on the Sunday morning and went on till Friday night?— That is so. That explains the difficulty. 61. Mr. Long.] You only worked on the average five and a half days a week?— That is right. Declaration. I, Edward Stewart, chef, of 68 Kent Terrace, Wellington, do make oath that an erroneous inference having been taken from my evidence given on the Shops and Offices Act Amendment Bill before the Labour BHls Committee on the 12th day of August. 1913, re. the manner of working the daily hours in the Hotel Australia in Sydney, that the details of such working are as follows : First Week. Second Week. Sunday .. .. Whole holiday .. .. 10J hours' work. Monday .. .. 10 J hours'work .. .. 7| „ (half-holiday). Tuesday .. .. 7J ~ (half-holiday) io| Wednesday.. .. 10J ~ .. 10J Thursday .. io| „ .. .. io| Friday .. io| „ .. .. io| Saturday .. .. iof „ .. .. Whole holiday. Total (less time off 60 hours. 60 hours, for meals) And I make this solemn declaration conscientiously believing the same to be true, and by virtue of the Justices of the Peace Act, 1908. Edward Stewart. Taken on oath before me, at Wellington, this 18th day of August, one thousand nine hundred and thirteen —Arthur Rosser, J. P.