SOME MORE DUTIES.

NZ Truth, Issue 64, 8 September 1906, Page 5

SOME MORE DUTIES.

Wellington Working Men's Club.

A correspondent, apropos the Foxton night-porter's duties as published' m our issue of August 25, writes the list of duties required at the hands of a married couple engaged by a well-known builder "not a hundred miles from Westraere (Wanganui)." These are a few of the man's duties :—Start at day-break, milk cows, feed pigs and poultry, get vegetables for house, die garden and a few, odd jobs, then harness .horse and get ready for town. After breakfast, drive to town, work m timber yard all day; when finished with town duties, go home, put his horse and cart away, then repeat his morning duties, when he finishes about dark. His wife's duties are to assist iri her employee's house three , days a week, besides churning and making the butter, look after dairy utensils, etc., etc. For all this they receive the modest sum of 35s a week between them Can you compare this with the duties of the Foxton nightporter.

NEARER HOME. " And a night-porter at the Working Men's* Club, that very pulse and heart, so to speak, of the labor sentiment, is paid £2 5s per week to toil at dirty, often disgusting labor, 10 hours, at night. If he got Is .an hour, which is the lowest day wage of the most ordinary laborer at a healthy outdoor employment, he would get £3 10s a week ; but Ms fellow-workers sweat their employee like this. Truly there is no master so hard as a worker m the saddle. Here is Mr Night-porter's little list of duties as drawn up by the manager of the Working Men's Club for the guidance of the unfortunate wretch :—

DUTIES OF NIGHT-PORTER. Come on duty at 9.30 p.m. Light copper fire, always see same full of water, also leave full of v water and fire m mornings. Punctually at 10 o'clock be ready with hot water, bucket and cloths, and always put disinfectant m all cleaning water. Always before sweeping bar or any room sprinkle with water and disinfectant and raise as little dust as possible, Have bar finished by 11 o'clock ; wash and wipe skirting board and brass around as you wash. After this, commence m. the billiard-room and wash out, .also spittoons, marker polishes them, put little disinfectant m each when finished. Wash out from this all rooms and passages and skirting boards ; keep inside of all windows clean, and sills and woodwork around. ,- Wash reading-room and stairs and front entrance and telephone room, committee room, library, chess and other rooms and passages to back door, and keep doors clean, wash spittoons and place by bottom bar for steward to mitin next morning. Shake all mats and runners, and keep- same very clean. Wash front steps and. entrance last and 4 see front doors washed and kept thoroughly clean. Put coals m each room and lay fires and Brunswick black them from time to tinie and keep very clean. , Doors closed at 11 o'clock, and on no account alU>w, anyone m, and only turn on and off lights as required for cleaning. Come to manager for all you require, and . report anything to him out of order. Finish at 7.30, and have all back by copper clean, and always leave the place tidy 7 It would appear that "slavery's days" are not over even yet m "God's Own Country."