Workers' Struggles

Maoriland Worker, Volume I, Issue 8, 20 April 1911, Page 4

Workers' Struggles

FAMILY LIFE ON FORTY-EIGHT SHILLINGS A WEEK. "Some of the City Council employees* are living on charity; they do not earn enough, money to buy bread and butter or to live decently," , declared Mr M. J Iteardon at a conference between delegates of the City Council and General Labourers' Union on Monday, 3rd inst. The labourers did not get enough to live upon, he said, and they should be paid more, even if the rates had to be increased to meet the expenditure. It was not creditable to the city that its employees had to live on charity. Councillor Trevor interjected that it was through the men's improvidence. Why should the council sustain them ? This discussion took place during the consideration of the wages of men working underground, the union asking tor payment of 12s a shift. When the next item was reached —a demand for Is da an hour for general labourers —Mr Reardon informed the Mayor that at the tramwaymen's conference his Worship had stated that £2 12s was not suincient for a man to live upon, and yet neither permanent nor casual hands employed by the council were earning «£2 12s or even <£2 10s a week. Permanent men were paid 9s a day, but throughout the year they did not average more than nve days' work a week, while a casual man could never hope to earn more than Aj 8s a week. He made a strong appeal for an increased wage for the labourers. In support of his claim he read the ±oilowing letter from an employee of the council to show how inadequate the present wage was: — HOW IT IS DONE. In bringing my private affaire before you, gentlemen, I wish you to understand that 1 consider myself one of the most fortunate of the married mc a on the City Council, inasmuch as I have but a small rental and only one child, thank God, and mv wife to support. So how much harder ovusb it be for the less fortunate man who ha« a larger family and conseauently a larger rental to pay? I am also thanktui because I can challenge any shopkeeper in Wellington to prove that I owe them. Id I pay cash or go wituout, and tell nobody, and I will leave it to your good judgment, gentlemen, to tay whether mj wife or I are extravagant. Please note that the £2 8s ie fully used up and that no allowance is made whatever for clothing, tobacco, beer, eggs, fruit, amusements, delicacies, etc., so I think it 'd plain that something must be deducted from the bare necessities mentioned herein in order to obtain them. Personally, not being a proud chap, I have contented myself with a 25s suit for Sundays, and a celluloid collar and front over an ordinary working shirt. My wile has to buy second-hand clothing and alter them to her fit, etc., and make things for the boy out of what she is fortunate enough to buy cheap , ~ . Uentlemen, please also note there is no provision made for pocket money, either for my wife, child, ok myself, and when we would go to church to try and console ourselves, we are confronted ■with the fact that we have not got a coin ever ao small to put in the plate, which makes one feel that he would rather stay away. Note also, gentlemen, there is no provision made for a possible increase of family, fire insurance, lodge levies, moving expenses, dental expenses, train or car fares to go visiting friends, or for extras to receive visitors, boot repairing (the boot club mentioned being for new boots only). No provision is made also for a visit to swimming baths, or becoming a member of the public library, school books, toys for child, breakages in home and replenishing home; no possible hope of sending Christmas presents home to relatives; no allowance for firewood, no allowance for studying or purchasing musical instruments, no chance of a college education for my boy, no possible hope of taking up a Crown land section on even the liberal terms offered by the Government, no provision against old age (independent provision, I mean), no provision for an annual month's holiday even suppose it were on full pay at our present rate. To the Opera House we have never been, to pictures only occasionally, and when a public holiday comes round we have to count our coppers to see if we can afford to go to Miramar, Lyall Bay, Day's Bay, and on finding it doubtful have to content ourselves with a walk to Oriental Bay, or through town. Gentlemen, I conscientiously believe tliat not one sentence written in rn.e3e lines can be fairly considered anything more than a, working man, even in the humblest capacity, is entitled to, and I fail to see one item of extravagance. Thus it is plainly seen that 8s per day is far too little for a man, wife, and only one child in good health, much less for the man with a larger family in unhealthy conditions. His condition would be much easier imagined than realised. Rent, 9s: coals, 2s; kerosene, Is; Lodge, Is 8d; boot clvib, 2s 6d; machine man, 2s 6d; tea. Is; sugar. lOd; jam, Is; soap, 6d; flour, Is; vinegar (half pint), 3d; mustard. • (half tin), 3d; pepper, Id; salt, Id; stove polish 2d; blacking, 2d; blue, Id; starch, 6d; butter, Is; cocoa, lid; baking powder (half tin), 3d; egg- powder (half tin), 3d; condensed milk. Is; rolled oats, 9d; arrowroot, 6d; cheese, Is 4d; rice, sd; baker (2 loaves a day 7d), 4s Id; meat (Is per day), 7s; cows milk (one pint per day), Is 2d; potatoes (4d per day), 2s 4d; cabbage, or other vegetables (2d per Is 2d; one shave per week, 3d; red herrings for Sunday morning's breakfast did each), 6d; Evening- Post" (two nights weekly), 2d: "AVeekly Herald,'' Id.. Total, £2 Bs. STRONG EXCEPTION TAKEN. Councillor Trevor took strong: exception t-o the statement. He had listened to similar stories over and over again at the Arbitration. Court. They ware manufactured for the occasion. There was no

How tiiey make ends meet

use bur Icing rthe question. There was something wrong somewhere —either an extravagant wife or something else. Personally, he had landed here with £5 in his pocket and was out of work for three weeks. He had managed to live on less than. -22 8s a week. In cases such as the one quoted there was a screw loose somewhere. He had sympathy with genuin_, cases of distress, but not with people who wasted. In many such cases the distress was caused by a member of the family who wasted, and he did not think the letter should have been quoted. They could not define a livirug wage. Where one could live on £2 a week another person would require <£5. Mr F. Stott, one of the union delegates, challenged Councillor Trevor to prove how it wa3 possible for a man with a wife and two or three children to live on £,2 8s a week. He quoted his •own case, and said there was no better manager in New Zealand than his wife. For the twelve months ending in January last he had received £2 8s a week from the City Council, and his expenses had come to £2 14s, the deficiency being made up by his wife, who took in sewing. He had carefully tabulated the items a,nd he challenged anybody to point out any extravagance. For a long time lie never received a full fortnight s wages. The items were as follow, the family consisting of himself and wife and two children : — Butter 2s 4d; lard, 4_d; sugar, Is; tea, coffee or cocoa, Sd; milk, 2s 4d; meat, 3s; flour, 6d; bread, 3s; rent, 14s; rice, sago, etc., 8d; bacon, s_&; cheese, 4_A; currants, raisins, etc., 6d; salt, pepper, vinegar, 4d; oatmeal, etc., 6d; fish, 6d; fruit and vegetables, 2s 6d; soap, polishes, etc., Is 6d; coal and light, 2s 6d; jam and syrti_>, 6_d; hats and caps, lis; dresses, coats and underclothing, ss; boots and repairs, 3d; household linen, etc., 3d; newspapers, etc., lOd; clubs and insurances, 3s 6d; school books, 0d; crockery, 0d; cooking utensils, Od; doctor and medicines, Od; tobacco, Od. Total, £2 13s lid. Private employers were paying 10s a day and the council should do likewise. He asked Councillor Trevoo. what he considered a fair minimum wage? Councillor Trevor : I am not going to propose a wage. Mr Reardon .- Will you agree that the city should pay as much as private employers? Councillor Trevor said the labourers ■were asking for as much as Avas paid to tradesmen who had served an apprenticeship and had to provide tools. He wanted to know who was paying 10s a day. Mr Reardon : Sanders Bros, at Miramar cutting. The union delegates quoted numerous cases of distress brought about by the inadequacy of the labourers' wages. In one case the rent was given as 17s a week. Councillor Trevor pointed out ■[■' small houses couid be got at 10s, 12s, and 14s a week. Mr Stott : You do not think that because a man is >a general labourer he should live in a rabbit hutch? Councillor Trevor : They can gK decent houses cheaper than what they say. Mr Reardon said a land agent had informed him that the rent of small houses had not come down, but that large houses were now cheaper than formerly. He declared that the City Council ivas the worst employer of labour within a radius of twenty miles of the G.P.O. The Mayor -. I do not admit that. Mr Reardon : It is unanswerable. You cannot deny it. THE RECOGNISED KATE. Councillor Trevor said 9s was the recognised rate of pay for labouretrs in the city. It was only in _ isolated oases where 10s a day was paid. Mr Law wanted to know whether the corporation employees were considered tiie scum of labour, seeing that they could only get Is a day less than other labourers-' As a matter of fact the men were the best that could be got. Mr Reardon said that for the last four voars the council had paid Is a day less than had the Miramar and Karori boroughs and all private employers. The conference adjourned without coining to any decision on the point. The conference had a second abortive sitting on Monday, 10th inst., when Councillor Trevor dilated on his ability to live on the east wind, the Mayor, Mr T. Wiiford, M.P., showed the cloven hoof, and Mr M. J. Reardon, despite the worse than lookwarm support of "our only Labour member," put up a good fight for the members of his union and spoke some trues concerning the Arbitration Court -which have waited long for utterance. We are reminded by "The Weekly Herald" that when Mr T. Wiiford, M.P., stood for the Mayoralty of Wellington a year ago it was said he was '•;-.s good as a Labour num." The "Herald" rightly asks what these individuals have to say in support of Mr Wiiford now. We do not wish to be unkind, but we cannot help reminding the "Herald" in turn that one of "these individuals" was the then President or the Wellington Trades and Labour Council, Mr Elijah J. Carey, who took the chair at one or more of Mr Wiiford's election meetings. It is the action of men of the E. J. Carey type that confirm us in our belief, that Mayor Wiiford is "as good as a Labour man."