Manamatu Herald SATURDAY, NOV. 6, .1897. The Dead Level.

Manawatu Herald, 6 November 1897, Page 2

Manamatu Herald SATURDAY, NOV. 6, .1897. The Dead Level.

Some day the trend of labour legislation will become observable even to the labourers, and then, possibly, we Bhall hear a great deal more about it. Much has been written about freedom of contract, but day by day the right of a labourer to sell his energy in the best market, is being taken from him, and efforts are being made to induce legislation that will place his present competitors, women and Children, in still greater antagonism to him. In proof of what we are saying we direct attention to the report of Mr Tregear, Secretary to the Department of Labour, and in it will be found the signs that we have mentioned. When the first appeal for a weekly half-holiday was made, and afterwards enforced by law, the plea put forward was that the workers needed a time for recreation. At the time many said that it was but an attempt to get the usual wage without the usual work. It is not popular to write thus, but for the benefit of the workers it is as well that the truth, should be known. Under the impression that the above view was incorrect and that the workers placed the state of their health before the Btate of their p'jrse, Parliament passed an Act in 1894 making it obligatery that women and young persons should have a weekly half holiday, and that they should not have to work move than forty eight hours in the week. Mr Tregear points out that this is regarded as a considerable hardship, and the employees " contend they do not receive the half-holiday as time paid for by the employer," and that it is ° no boon to be made to stop work and have an afternoon off at their own expense !" This looks very much as a strong corroboration of the request for a half holiday being merely in another manner a request for an increase in wages. The report goes on to state that there has been a great increase this year in the applications by employers for permits to work their hands overtime. "In many cases "so the report is worded, " the extra money earned, which is now paid in almost every case, is of great assistance to the employees, and enables many a small luxury to be obtained which would otherwise be unprocurable. It is doubtful, however, whether it is fair to the industrial class socially to permit such absorption of its mem bers into long-continued toil, and, still more, whether a person already fortunate in being able to obtain steady employment should be allowed to do two day's work for one so long as there are 'any able outsiders capable of performing similar duties." Such theories as these will, if carried into effect, place the industrial class in the worst position oiany class in the community as it will forbid them from taking advantage of any oppor tunities for rising in their labour and will prevent them from obtaining many a small luxury which, without such an opportunity, would otherwise be unprocurable. Mr Tregear desires, as he cannot raise, up, to pull down, and complains that there are no limits to the hours of working for men as for womon, and argues that " there can be no reason why, since a woman is prohibited from working too long hours, similar protection should not be given to a man." He urges this not for the benefit of the man but because it interferes with the employment of women and he declares "in many cases men are as feeble constitutionally as women, although th?y may be physically stronger in the direction of mere thew and muscle." It would appear as though the Secretary of the Department of Labour was just discovering that the protection of women labour is having the effect it was pointed out it would most probably have, that of causing male labour to be preferred, as we find him stating further on the man may be worked " not only out rageously long hours at his ordinary day's work, but kept on at overtime, without pay, till either his strength or bis patience is exhausted." His patience is that which generally gets exhausted before his health, and Mr : Trepear would find it hard to supply ( mwy imimQw* rrf tlit woodcut •

man he has conjured up. All this arises from the fact that a woman gets overtime by law and she hoB also a minimum wage fixed. To level down Mr Tregear urges a minimum overtime wage should be fixed for the male worker as well as for the female worker. It is bard to point out the exact direction all this interference with freedom of contract will take us, but a little light is thrown upon the road by some further suggestions made in the report, from the study of which it will be seen that in the struggle to make all labour of one equal value — an utter impossibility— the very means of livelihood of small shopkeepers is to be seriously interfere with. This is the paragraph !-" If the passing of an Eight Hours Bill would meet the Case iftany would be glad to see such an Act on the statute-book. Unfortunately, this would not fully master the situation, as there is the employer also to be considered." It seems that at last there is a notion getting abroad that the ebapioyer, and his interests have some bearing on the interests of the employees, but the Secretary says it is unfortunate that they. have to be considered. "In parts of some of our colonial towns there are whole rows of small Bhops in which few or no assistants are employed, and the competition of such establishments, if they were allowed to remain open, Would seriously injure the business of those, who, on account of their enterprise in employing labour, would have to close when their assistants left; "Mr tregear therefore proposes that an Act limiting the hours within which such shops should be passed. If parliament considers the3e proposals we shall hear a tale from these small shopkeepers which will unfold to us the straits any such enactment would would place them in.