The Ashburton Guardian. Magna Est Veritas et Prevalebit SATURDAY, JUNE 13, 1885 Wages Men.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1555, 13 June 1885, Page 2

The Ashburton Guardian. Magna Est Veritas et Prevalebit SATURDAY, JUNE 13, 1885 Wages Men.

A correspondent, whose letter we publish in another part of this issue, has asked us to inform him why Mr Wright, one of the candidates for the representation of Wakanui in the House of Representatives, “ tried to cut down the railway wages.” In a foot note to our correspondent’s letter, we have admitted our inability to supply the information he solicits, and have stated that at present we have been unable to discover that Mr Wright ever made such an attempt; but, understanding that some misconception exists among an influential section of the electors in reference to this matter, we have determined to reproduce from Hansard remarks made by Mr Wright in the House of Representatives with regard to wages men employed by Government. Space will permit no more than the bare production of the extracts, our comments we must reserve for a later issue.

In the House of Representatives on July 24, 1882, Mr Smith, then member for Waipawa, moved that the reductions made sometime previously in the wages of platelayers and all other wages men employed by the Government on the railway and other public works of the colony should be restored. It should be explained that the motion involved more than appeared upon the face of it. It was really an attempt to carry a vote of “ want-of-confidence ” by a side issue, and therefore Mr Wright, who was a supporter of the Government of the day, must have felt considerable difficulty in dealing with the question. In speaking to the resolution Mr Wright said : —“ If I wanted another argument in favor ot my proposal to establish a Board of management for the railways, I think it may well be found in the discussion which has taken place on this occasion. However, I do not propose now to inflict on the House a long discourse on that subject, but I will make a very few remarks on the question itself. Now, as one who has been a large employer of labor—and, in that, perhaps second to no one in this House—my sympathies are altogether in favor of the working classes, and, if I felt for one moment that the Government would refuse to recognise the just claims of a large body of men in their employ, I for one would vote against them on this question, be the consequences what they might. But I am satisfied they have no such intention. When it was found necessary to retrench two years ago, these men were dealt with somewhat more severely than the rest of the Government employees, because they suffered a reduction of about per cent. At the same lime, looking at what was then the rate outside the Government service, they were liberally dealt with, because, while they had 6s a day, wet or dry, there were to my knowledge hundreds of men anxious to obtain employment at ss. Now the condition of the labor market is changed, and laborers, who eighteen months ago were glad to get 5s a day, now get 7s; so there is very reasonable ground for asking for some advance in the wages of these men. It has been asked, Why, if they can get better wages, do they not leave the Government service at once? Well, first of all there is the inducement of constant employment and the certainty of prompt payment, and, when men have settled, with their families in any locality, they are very averse from making a change. T think, if a little more attention had been given to studying the comfort of these men in the past, they would hav<? had no ground of complaint. I have session after session urged upon the Government the desirability of providing these men with cottages throughout the length and breadth of the railway system. The honorable member for Wakatipu referred to this question, and I think he unintentionally misled the House in saying these men were provided with cottages; because the few of these men who have cottages have to pay high rentals —rentals which in many cases represent 15 to 20 per cent on the cost of the buildings. What is required is that these men shall be provided with comfortable homes. They cannot all of them take up their residences in towns, and cannot choosetheir own homes, except at an immense sacrifice of time. The honorable member for Wakanui pointed out —what is perfectly true—that they occasionally rise at five o'clock and do not reach home nil late at night. The reason is this : Their work lies along the line often a considerable distance from their homes, ihey have to rise and be at the station to catch the first train, and they cannot return till the last train at night. It should be the duty of the department to provide them with quarters suitable to their requirements along the respective sections, to give them a portion of the waste lands, to fence it in, and afford them means of providing milk and butter for their families, and some ground to cultivate in ' their spare time. Beyond this the de 1 partment should take care that all < these posts are filled by married men only; for they would have less ten- J dency to roam, and, with reasonable torafwt provided fot tbera, they would

be content even with the wages they now receive. This question affects only about half of the large staff of railway employees, because those above the grade of surface-men have no grievances that I am aware of, so far as their pay is concerned. The enginedrivers and others have many grievances, but they are chiefly on account of their being overtaxed by extra services and long hours. The department in its wisdom thinks it necessary to run special trains, and the whole service is thrown out of joint in consequence. Extra carriages are run up to meet unknown quantities of excursionists, and after a few days the empty carriages have to be run back again, and every man is put on extra duty, for | which some receive recognition while others do not. In regard to the Kartigi accident, referred to in the early part of the session, I had evidence of the great length of time which the men on the engine then had been under service. With very little intermission they had been for thirty-six hours constantly at their posts. It is true that immediately preceding the accident they had only been on actual duty for two hours, but prior to that they had only had an eight hours’ spell after twenty-four hours’ work, with short intervals insufficient for rest, and during those eight hours they were not allowed to leave the engine ; other men were threatened with suspension because they refused to comply with the demand put upon them. These are the things that cause dissatisfaction among the railway staff, and feed a smouldering fire of discontent, and that discontent usually breaks out at some inconvenient period. Then, with regard to the rats of pay, I certainly would not advocate the Government paying higher wages than those current in the colony —that is altogether unnecessary j but the Government rate should approximate to the current rate. And here I may observe that low wages are by no means an indication of economy. I have always found it the best economy to pay the highest wages and secure the best men. I think the Government might adopt that system in their railway service, and they would get a greater return in the work.”

To Mr Wright’s efforts to obtain suitable cottages for railway workmen we are unable to refer at any length. Hansard records that on September 8, 1881, and on June 28, 1882, he urged the matter upon the Government from his place in the House, and his private efforts in the same direction are wellknown and widely appreciated.