COSTING £3,800 MORE

Evening Star, Issue 22453, 25 September 1936, Page 1

COSTING £3,800 MORE

WORK BY RELIEF LABOUR EFFECT OF REDUCED HOURS For equivalent work now being done by relief workers, the Otago Harbour Board has to provide an additional £3,800 annually on the sum paid' in 1931 in wages, according to reports made at last night’s meeting. The Standing Committee reported that it had received a communication from the Labour Department advising that it was necessary, as from September 1, to pay award rates of pay to Scheme No. 5 workers, and had noted the report from the engineer showing the increased cost to the board. The chairman said the wages would be increased by £3,800, as compared ■with those paid in 1931. In reply to Mr R. S. Thompson the secretary said 120 men were involved. “ If tho board is bound to pay award rates, could it put the men on more useful work than they are doing at the present time?” asked Mr Copland: The Chairman (Mr J. B. Waters) : I 'understand from the engineer that all are on useful work. _ I have made inquiries time after time as to whether the work is of value to the board. We are getting good value, and the engineer has been advised by Mr Bromley that, if the men are not giving yalue, they should bo dismissed. Mr Thompson suggested that if the subsidy were not available the board would not be employing the men. The chairman said he understood from the engineer that certain works, such as the Wyatt street formation now proceeding, could have been postponed. They were useful, and would have had to be doue in the near future. As a result of the Government subsidy, the board was getting work done at- a fairly cheap rate. The same applied to the work on the South Endowment reclamation. The board was not providing work ta give employment to relief workers; it was only doing the work earlier. , , , . Mr R. Harrison said the total Increase did not represent any increase in the income of the individual workers, whose hours had been shortened. . ~ , ... . “ But it should be pointed out that the amount of work for the pay given is being decreased,” added Mr Thompson. “ The amount of work has decreased by loi per cent, for the same amount of pay.” The Chairman: That is-so. “ That will be altered by the use of machinery,” remarked by Mr Harrison. The report was adopted.