Carpenters and Carpenters.

Gisborne Times, Volume VI, Issue 264, 16 November 1901, Page 1

Carpenters and Carpenters.

(To the Editor of Times.) Sir, —I saw in Thursday’s paper a letter from “ Down-trodden Carpenter.” He says he is a stranger in Gisborne. I should almost think that he is, as he seems to know very little about the trade and contracting as it is carried on in Gisborne. First ho complains of a firm sending their men fifty miles or so into the country, and the men have to pay their own expenses and receive the lavish wage of 7s or 8s a day. So far so good, but I should imagine if a man was found that would take such a job the wages would be quite sufficient, and I venture to say rather too high. Then “ Down-trodden Carpenter” speaks of unionism. Well, let him try it, and see what the result will be—non-existing in three months. Now, the Amalgamated Society of Carpenters and Joiners flourishes in New Zealand, and no doubt a dispensation to form a lodge would be granted, if properlyapplied for. But I would like to tell “ Down-trodden ” that the society, while it looks after the wages of its members, that is not the only duty it undertakes. It has a standing rule that any person wishing to become a member must be an apprenticed journeyman, but if ho has not his indentures ho must bo recommended by at the least two members of the Society as an efficient tradesman and a respectable member of society—it moreover advocates a universal wage and insists on its members being paid the maximum wage ruling in the district he may then be working in Now, how would that suit some of the “ carpenters ” of Gisborne ? No doubt f e pay' part would, but the difficulty wou d be that 75 per cent, of them could not gain membership either as out apprentict s or efficient tradesmen. The man that cries out most about low wages, and likes to call himself a carpenter, is a man who thinks ho is by nature and ability suited to be one, so he scrapes together about 30s, buys a basket, saw, hammer, square, and a chisel or two, gets a job from a lowclass builder at a still lower class wage, and, to his mind, his qualification is complete. He uses or abuses his tools for about a month, and then, if ho were to offer them for sale, he would find that the basket was the most valuable article in his chest of tools. That is the class of men that make low wages and bring a fine trade into bad repute. Now, I should not like to put all the blame on the “ Down Troddens.” He is evidently trying to improve his position ; the men I blame are the contractors and their cutting competition down on the bare rock, so that their only chance is by employing cheap ('.’) labor and general slumming to get through at all, and then again, there are the architects who quietly stand by and see all this, knowing it is no use complaining, as there is not the quality of labor employed, notwithstanding the clause in their general conditions, namely, that efficient workmen will only be allowed on the contract, and that all work shall be done in a good and workmanlike manner. The remedy is in the hands of the building public—the specifications are generally prettystrict in letter, then why should not the proprietor of the job see that they are carried out ? In fact, see that he is getting what he agreed to pay for. If such were the case, jerry-building and jerrybuilders would come to ’a place called ” stop,” and then most of all the 11 Downtroddens ” would be back to their cabdriving. rouse-abouts, or generally useless, and nobody would be any the worse off. Thanking you in anticipation,—l am, etc., J, E. Harries, Carpenter and Joiner.