THE CORPORATION LABORERS.

NZ Truth, Issue 63, 1 September 1906, Page 4

THE CORPORATION LABORERS.

Four weeks • ago the City Council, m special committee assembled, decided to increase the rate of pay to its laborers, regular and casual, to 8s a day, and fine mode of doing so m such a way a s to be fair to the men really worth their pay and yet not starve out altogether the worn out veterans of the service, was left to the City Engineer. This was good news to the poor fellows, who, at the cruel rate of rent and necessaries (rates totally unwarranted by circumstances other than the accursed greed of the landlords and the "passing it on to the consumer" on the pairt of trade rings) found it impossible to make ends meet. But so far nothing has come of the resolution ; the City Engineer appears to be still considering the matter, and "while the grass grows the steed starves." The extra pay has not been received by any of ; the laborers, yet, nor is there any sign of it being forthcoming. As it should have dated from the time of passing the resolution the increment now tots up to the price of a pair of boots for the man, or even two pairs for a couple of the kiddies, and they need and want the money, their justly earned due. Men who have been spoken to say that the few extra shillings would mean a great deal to them and they cannot understand why the edict of the Council m committee is not carried into effect. They also complain bitterly of the . lack or grading among the corporation employees. Many of the grizzled old warriorseven young men admit— are better workers than many of the younger, more recently appointed laborers. The trouble is, they claim, that the City Engineer does not know the men and therefore has no knowledge of the comparative value of their services. Hence absolute wasters and eye-ser-vants draw the same wage as the most expert and conscientious, and this is most discouraging to the latter. Another grievance is the system of fortnightly payment, which is veiry inconvenient for these hard-worked, under-paid men and all depending on them. . It is aggravated by the plan adopted by this "fatherly" employer, the Wellington City Council, of keepine;. back three days' pay all the time. The system is doubly hard on new hands put on. It is needless to say that such men have nothing m hand, when they get a start, and yet they cannot touch a penny till they have worked a fortnight, and even then they are paid . three days short of what they have earned. In such parlous times as these, when living is acknowledged to be so cruelly expensive, the Council might well reform its methods and pay these poor devils, or at all events the casuals, weekly, and without deductions. In fact, the whole system of the Corporation staff wants, reforming and reorganising. How would our city fathers themselves like to be so situated that they. had neither money nor credit and : had to feed and clothe their families on suoh a pittance as 45s a week (less frequent broken time), and then, when they had toilsomely earned it, found that they could not draw any money at the week end and when they; did get it at the end of the second week, had three days earnings held back ? What a kick there would be ! Meanwhile, is the City "Engineer going to carry out his employers' orders, or is 'he not ?