WAGE SLAVERY.

NZ Truth, Issue 63, 1 September 1906, Page 8

WAGE SLAVERY.

tfO ■TJaB^EraPEOR. " '

Sit:?— Wifch i-all- our labor^le^la^QnJ «4W&-are. justiabout as-toadly..:ofi i a ! t«»fcfae3 present day m New Zealand as wejf were in 1 : the»bad^old^Tory^*mes>efs#ie« Atkinson regime. In those occupations iwhicii 1 now| pome under*Arbil>ration Court-awards'* ,the wages -are certainly, higher, buti as the purchasing valuer has <*aecneas~.* ed nearly 50 per cent • thet^gam , isi certainly with 4>he . As for those pqor imfortunafeesw'wihoi ' have to , make their'owh awards,* the* following are one or two 1 choice*-ex-« amples which^P-can -vouclvKfor as^itrue;^ and up-to-date. ' . An auctioneer of this»<si4iy.»?'Tine*sonf of a Methodist preaohdr,item,paoy-^ ed a married itian as clerk au the? princely stipend of Simper week^ndv finally dismissed- him .as^bein^tootex-* pensive a hand. ,«.-... Another business . man- •of Cbrist-? church pays paintens' laborers ;(inar--< ried men) 80s per week. ,The others! 'day he gave one >of them the ran,., and when asked for a reason replied^ "•We give no reasons here." Yet another case, and I am done.* 'A firm of plumbers pays a man.3ssa per week, and this is-all he«<has tbdon for his money :— Keep a se* of 12* „ books, look after thepshop,,serve«cus- : tomers, run errands- I'and1 ' and • keep the' warehouse m order! : Surely it is high «:time* that' working men began to Wave some respect for themselves and 'combine to- put an end to the serfdom fthey have -endured all too long and .- patiently.— Yours, etC ' ' NYM, Ch. istchurch, ! A ! ug. 21', 1906.