PAYMENT OF JURORS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 437, 20 February 1909, Page 6

PAYMENT OF JURORS.

STRONG INDIGNATION. A MATTER OF PRINCIPLE. . fBY TELEGBAPH—FBESB • ASSOCIATION.) . Auckland, February 19.A feeling of strong indignation exists amongst.a number of citizens: who have been on the. jury list during : the' present criminal sessions of the Auckland Supreme Court regarding the .treatment moteS out to them. question!involved :is chiefly one (jiple, and is connected ;with the ' system of .payment 'of jurors! With the. view of/arriving" the; grounds:, of the grievance, a "Herald" representative to-day investigated 1 matters. Sis of the ..dissatisfied . jurymen were-interviewed in a body shortly' after being paid off after serving all .the week until to-day. The,group comprised-an accountant, a manufacturing a shopkeeper, a brewer s employee, an engineer, arid a master plumber.

?ay of preface .the accountant said:— We have been" called every morning this ; week and every afternoon," practically serving each day. Oh top of.that some of us have been locked/ up - all 'one' night. and followed about like malefactors by; constables. ,I'or the five days ;we Have received 28 shillings, one or two of-u5.32 shillings.. Now, the. position is that most of us are dependent' ]}P9 n wages received .at per hour. . For the jive days m question, we contend that, haVing been called, each morning and afternoon, • ee n taken.~7-The- point,is, this: Ihe '.Government, • under its xjwnlaws, compels employers to pay .their men for everyhour or portion of an hour they are engaged .either in_ work or in going to and from work. • m . e payment of jurors, though ..the 'afternoon * may :be iostv to .them by having,to.attend the Court at 2 o'clock, the Government only pays. them for half a day. If we discharged in the ; "morning it is not until, •r -?■ f"® earliest,' and we, then*' get notice \W be back, at 2 p.m. A man" can: do nothing or ,his, own. busness between ' those hours. Then, when he gets back ; at 2 p.m., • it. is :P a ". past before, if challenged or "discharged, he is free; again.. He may iien have' ; to go home to change, • and what chance has i he _6 e ttmg to. his own' work.,;,'lt' iteans,' perhaps, : losing whole. day, : for which - the government declines to pay. It is not, liow.eyer, bo, much, the monev loss as the'prin-. - the ,thing we object to. own case/' continned.the- indignant accountant. ; i have : bepn.on this. jury'job this week -Ton Mondayj. Tuesday,. Wednesday, Thursand Friday.l: have got a wife and nine children, to suppo^, 1 and' .am entirely de-pendent-upon what-I.earn'per hour; yet for tne .'servipes I have rendered <to;;theGoveriiment this week I have '; just ■ received the munificent sum of 285., and I have to keep out ordebt ; pn.that." i.A?°| h hr? r . ilember ' pf tbe party declared that- 1 he "had been on the-jury several times previously,' and had always.received'a full dav'siiPay .if called back.in the afternoon.- ■ f Now; t however,! he said, "if y r ou do'not put in a: , ours in', the afternoon - you are only P al^.'.^ o / vf 10 "half day.The.;.pbint ;-is^.that:-we • contend that if we have 'to go. : back to' the Court:at 2-p.m; we ought-to be 'paid for the atternoon. • * ».■ • • ; ■ ■■ ■ -Tji, o |tinsmith then put his, ease.'v "In my trade, he said,.."we have. a day rate scale, ,and I have got ''froin'-fe."to':! iOs. per day, even I only employ them ;tor .one,hour during,that' day.< I -have 'been ■on'the': jury all -the. week up to now, iand •have had, to put a man on; my-bench at' 10s. ' per. day.;, ■ I had' a delusion-'thiit' I was '.going .to. receivers, per day for my - semes as' (- jur?r, but on; going :just now to- be paid off -1 found I was only getting'at the rate (if 4s. per day. That- means■; that I -am : 6s. out of poekct -for every day I;have served.". ) :• Similar ; complaiats',.were .voiced' by -other members,-of the party.-; On .airhands there' ;^ a s strong .feeHng-against i;a .principle where-. by the Crown treate its employees in such'a way, and.! compels ordinary *, employers• ;to treat their men quito differently. , - "Why," remarked one .gentleman- -?'if em-' to treat their employees-as the Government treat its-.jurors they-.wonld, i im- i be' cited . before the Arbitration .Court' like /criminals: and : fined."