THE LYTTELTON LUMPERS.

Globe, Volume II, Issue 151, 27 November 1874, Page 2

THE LYTTELTON LUMPERS.

To the Eitor of the Globe'. Sir, — In your eport of a meeting called by Messrs McOlatchie and Talbot, and Cameron Broilers, stevedores. Lyttelton, you have very much proceedings of the same, and, in ourselves, we would feel obliged tt fwv would be so good as to publish the following facts : About nine or ten months ago there was a strike of lumpers in Lyttelton. There was a meeting called by the employers, terms were proposed au4 were accepted, both parties expressing themselves perfectly satisfied. Shortly after this there was a society formed, the employers being present, or at least one from each fim, when several of the rules were discussec, one of which was that the members shoild give a certain number of days’ notice o! any alteration in the rate of pay, or hours of work, and that the employers shoulddo likewise. We have kept faith so far ; tie employers called us together at an bonis notice, and say you must do so and so ; ;nd, not alone what appears in your report, but a great deal more which is left out. I ion’t see how a reporter can report on the proceedings of a meeting when he is not preseit at said meeting. I will do ths best I can to explain the system that wa in vogue in Lyttelton until two years ago wages were at the rate of 12s per day ; nen were taken off in a boat to work ; thej had to pay hire for said boat; when they get on board the ship, if there was an hour’s vork they commenced and did that hour’s woik—and that might be all the work tor that cay ; you might have a full day, or, in the busy part of the season, a. week’s full time. But there was no push made to get cargo off, to keep the hands employed. If you worked for an hour you got paid for an ’hour—after hanging about on board ebip all day. In the grain aeaion, ft

lighter went alongside a ship ; you rushed v ter load in, the boss shouting, “ Take them away, take them away you then stood by, off pay, until the next lighter came, and then it was “Take them away,’’.again; so that men did not average as good wages as navvies, who were getting 8s per day, and anyone that knows anything about it knows which is the hardest or most unhealthy work. I have known twelve men to be sent off to a ship in the bay, they did two hours’ work, which amounted to less than 2s 6d, that was a day’s work; they came ashore about six o’clock, and got wet through coming. Times out of number men went down to the beach to get work, and were told to hold on till after breakfast, next till after dinner, and so on ; just as like as not they would not go to work that day. In justice to the employers, they certainly offered half a day’s pay if we went to work for a half day or less. We often go off to a ship in the bay when the weather or other circumstance prevents us going to work. We come ashore again, and that is all about it, never expecting or receiving remuneration for our lost time, and as like as not get wet through; it is generally bad weather when this happens. On the other hand the employers asked for concessions that would bring the thing as near as possible to the old style; and I think, if times are so much improved for all classes of labourers as the Government agents represent them in the old country, the lumpers should come in for a share of the good things. By the way, lumpers wages are generally higher than other labourers’ in all parts of the world. Yours, &c., Wool Bale.