AN OBSTACLE TO SKILL. Good Wages to Poor Workmen.

Free Lance, Volume III, Issue 139, 28 February 1903, Page 8

AN OBSTACLE TO SKILL. Good Wages to Poor Workmen.

A MEMBER of the Wellington Employers' Association, a.t a meeting an Tuesday night, deprecated the action of workers in endeavouring to stall further increase the rates of w ages. The employers naturally would deprecate such a course, for no employer would think of trying to increase his income, would he? Apart from, that, howeiver, there is no doubt the average master often feels very loth to pay his worst hand, who rejoices in the statutory title of "journeyman," the same wages that he pays to the best man. He would probably like to "dock" the wages of the indifferent workman, and tack the difference on to the wages of the good man, to encourage the incompetent one to exert, himself to become more skilful, and the other to use his expert efforts to the best advantage. * * * You noticed, perhaps, that the secretary of the Amalgamated Society of Carpenters and Joiners, the other night, advocated the establishment of payment under a system of classification, and that the meeting refused to discuss any such scheme. That is to say that, while that meeting cordially concurred in the opinion that the Minister for Public Works was 1 right in paying good Government carpenters 2d per hour in excess of their less skilled mates, thus classifying, the meeting did not want to have any such system applied all round. Maybe, the carpenters of Wellington are generally large-hearted fellows, who are quite willing to see an indifferent man earn as much as a good one, and that their regard for their fellow-man is so great that they wish to bring all to a uniform standard of competence or incompetence. * # * It ie a curious thing that, while an employer may not pay less than the wage fixed in the award to any worker, even though he is unable to get a good man, and has to put up with a makeshift, he does not, as a rule, exceed the award in paying his best workmen. Who blames him? He is complying with the inflexible rules practically laid down by the men who work for him. He is within his rights, and no one grumbles except the man who forced him to do away witlh man who forced him to pay out according to a hard and fast scale which reduces all workmen to a dead level. * *• * It is a remarkable thing that employers', having had their conduct dictated to them, and their wages disbursements decided, do not voluntarily exceed what they now deem to be an imposition, isn't it? It would be so like human nature to pay m excess of value received, wouldn't it ? Mechanical skill is not of the highest order in New Zealand. The labour laws do not foster ability. No unionist need care a rap about being a better man than his fellows-. While he is working he represents the same expenditure to the "boss" as the best man alive. Is it any wonder the "boss" talks of classification ? * * * If, in order to get a better quality of work, w r orking-men in New Zealand were branded according to their ability, the average ability would increase manifold in a very short time. The wages

paid to mechanics generally are not calculated to make millionaires of them, and, especially in Wellington, the average working man has a struggle to "keep his end up." Classification of all workers is eminently fair, and paying every man alike, without any regard tohis qualification, is eminently unfair. # * • Under the system prevailing there is nospur to endeavour, and it is unlikely that the average skill will increase while it obtains. Perhaps, New Zealand may dodge along in this way, with a nation of working men turned out to scale, but, if the best man had the best wages, and the worst man had to hustle to get a like remuneration, she might some day have real cause for the boast, often heard, that this country is elucidating knotty points for the benefit of Christendom.