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THE TRUCK SYSTEM IN OTAGO.

Circumstances have transpired pointing to the conclusion that the obnoxious truck system has made its appearance in our midst. The Government has very wisely adopted the precaution of inserting a special clause in Its contracts entered into with the railway contractors, expressly prohibit ng the payment of workmen otherwise than in current coin. It is not, however, with the railway contractors that we have at present to do. Coal mining operations at Saddle Hill are now beginning to assume dimensions of considerable importance. At present there are two mines in active operation, and other four are being rapidly prepared for work. In all, about one hundred men are employed at these works, of whom some sixty are coal miners in the strict sense of the word. In round figures, L3OO per week is distributed as wages. With the completion of the line to Saddle Hill, that number is bound to be largely increased, * General stores have been opened by the proprietors of two of the mines, and, as will be seen by the following communication, dealing at the store belonging to the proprietor is considered a sine qua non of employment. The communication, we should explain, was placed at the disposal of our reporter, and it»*uthenticity is guaranteed ; Mr Neill— October 7,1872. Sir,—l require to go to town this morning, or I should have seen you at the mine. At all events, I see by my books that you are taking nothing out of the store, and on that account solely you can now clear up your place to-dfy, and come to me and I will pay you what I owe you.—! am, &0.,

It was stated at the meeting that single men and others requiring lodgings are prohibited, under pain of dismissal, from living in families who may not happen to patronise the particular store owned by their employers. Instances were named in which a breach of this condition of employment has been visited by dismissal. The goods at the stores are said to be charged at a rate from three to four shillings per pound in excess of town prices. The goods supplied are of average quality, and with these exceptions the business is admitted to be fairly conducted. Finding matters were becoming worse instead of better, and that, in fact, the truck system, pure and simple, was being imposed upon them, the men themselves determined to make a stand against it. When it became known that Mr Donald Reid would address a meeting in the neighborhood during his candidature for the Taieri, a meeting of the men was held at the Walton Park pit. At that meeting one of their number named Andrew Harris was deputed to wait upon Mr Reid, and represent their grievance to him. Mr Harris did so, and the hardship of their case was gone fully into. The result of that interview was an understanding that Mr Reid, as a member of the General Assembly, would use his endeavors to get the obnoxious system put an end to; also, that he would endeavor to get the Government to agree to appoint an inspector of mines, so as to look after the safety of the miners, and gee that boys of tender age were not put to wotk in them. The feeling on this point is that the proposed inspector should be appointed by the miners and paid jointly by them and the Government With the view of further considering the matter, a meeting was held at the schoolhouse, Fairfield, on the evening of the 17th instant. The attendance ©f working-men was very considerable. Mr Blair was voted to the chair. Mr Pollock, by whom the advertisement convening the meeting was signed, was called upon by the Chairman, and made a personal explanation as to the reasons which had induced him to open a store in connection with his works. He said that but for the fact that the opposition coalmaster, Mr Loyden, had reduced the price of coal to a figure barely payable, he would never have thought of opening his store. He would, however, give up the store, if Mr Loyden would promise to do the same thing. _ Mr Loydbn denied the accusation of having reduced the price of declined to forego bis business as a storekeeper, adding that he would rather give up the mine altogether. The Chairman reminded the meeting that it had been convened for a specific object, and expressed a wish that personal recrimination should be dispensed with, after which Mr Loyden, to test the feeling of the meeting on the subject, moved that in future the men working at the different mines should be paid their wages in the current coin of the realm. By adopting that course they would be enabled to spend their wages where and how they liked. Upon being further discussed, it was agreed, as an addition to the motion, that the meeting expresses its opinion that the men should be allowed in future to purchase all their stores iwherever they may please. Mr Pollock seconded the motion. Mr M‘Laughlan expressed a strong opinion in favor of stores being abolished altogether at the public works. It was an easy matter to evade any prohibition made on the subject. Employers of labor had only to put a man into their stores and carry on the business under the man’s name. If the workman refused to deal at the store, it was a very easy matter for the master to find fault with him, and to make some kind of an excuse for getting rid of him. After a long and, in some respects, an irrelevant discussion, it was agreed that the motion, as made, should be adopted, and that other steps should be taken jto urge upon the Legislature the necessity that existed for some very stringent enactment been passed on the subject. Mr Phillips drew attention to a system equally pernicious—viz., the shanty system. At public works these places were a perfect purse. He thought that the attention of the authorities should bo drawn to the matter. From the discussion that ensued, it appeared that spirits were sold at neither of the stores referred to, and it was agreed that, in the meantime, no steps should be taken.

The meeting thereafter dispersed,, having awarded a vote of thanks to the Chairman,

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/ESD18730619.2.12

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Evening Star, Issue 3223, 19 June 1873, Page 2

Word count
Tapeke kupu
1,063

THE TRUCK SYSTEM IN OTAGO. Evening Star, Issue 3223, 19 June 1873, Page 2

THE TRUCK SYSTEM IN OTAGO. Evening Star, Issue 3223, 19 June 1873, Page 2

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