EARLY OTAGO AND EIGHT HOURS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2894, 1 September 1909, Page 34

EARLY OTAGO AND EIGHT HOURS.

By the Hon. J. T. Paul. A matter of interest and importance is mentioned by -the Hon. John Barr, M.L.C., in "The Labour World" in last ...Saturday's Lyttelton Times — to what part of Australasia has the honour of originating' the eight-hour movement? Mr > Barr, though, a Scotchman himself, see-ma, loth to allow. Ofcago to hold the honour, ijowever, I think it can be substantiated. Mr'Barr's reference to the question is as follows": — Up till within a few days agtf^l was under the impression, from information gathered from ..various sources, tha£ the eight-hour , movement \in New Ztealand originated in Wellington. Now, however, I find from a work entitled " His&ry of Labour and Machinery," publishedFby the Oceanic Publishing Company, of^Sydney and Melbourne, in 1888, that the" credit is due to the Scotch' of Otago. any unionist or others can put me in the way of procuring credible evidence in substantiation or refutation of the statement contained in the work referred to, I shall be deeply indebted. The-follow-ing iethe statement "referred to:>^' tThemost remarkable thing about the Labour, movement irr New' Zealand is- tho y fact ■ that it vwas in- that t^Duntry that-* the eight- •' hour .system , first arose. ' Eight, hours' '. labour, .eight hours' recreation,- and. eight - hours' rest' hadT long been a sortof dream, with' the operative classes of (Treat. Britain,- ' but the idea was never" applied - among .'them. When €h&' Scotch Presbyl teriair'e&ttlemenk in Otago,~-New Zealand, was formed in 18*7; however, there must have bean a few of these dreamers in the expedition, for we find that shortly after the settlement had been formed a law was passed making eight hours the day's work. Who originated that law or regulation has never been satisfactorily ascertained, but whoever he waa he conferred a boon upon humanity. The system took firm .root in .Otago, and hats been -maintained ' there ever., since in all trades or occupations that "can apply it. Tho idea w«8 wafted over, to Now South Wales, and the system took root "there in 1855. It was established in Victoria in 1856,- and fs now enjoyed there by' no fewer than 35 trades." I bave re-read the chapters relating* to New Zealand in the book mentionoa by Mr Barr, ~ and find other references which justify Otago's claim to have inaugurated the forward movement in other ways as well as in the matter of hours. But, touching hours only, I find corrpboration* of Otago's claim in "The Official/ Handbook of JXew Zealand." This publication " co'neißpw of a collection of ' papers by experienced colonists, 'aud was edited by Sir Julius Vogel. The chapter ' relating to Otago. was furnished by the Superintendent (Mr Macandrew.* M.H.R.i, - and was prepared Ly Mr J. M'lndoe. The volume was published -in 1875, -and the following, extract establishes Otego's claim- to have originated and put into" effect the eight-hour day : — A short summary of the social eondi- . tion of. the province will form »n appropriate finish to this chapter. Taking the" labour and cost of living questions first, - it ie found "that fiom the, earliest days' • of the settlement the working men in- . sisted on the eight-hour system^ carried their point, and have been able to main- ~ tain it up to the present time. When extra hours are worked, extra pay* must follow. That extract proved that from 1848 to 1875 Otago observed the eight-hour day. That the energies of the early settlers were restricted to eight hours' effort, is, of course, not inferred ; but siinply^tbaif'; when, one .man was employed by another his day'ft work was eight hours. In summarising the advantages a wage-earner would have her* above thosa enjoyed in Britain, after recognising " the severe trial to sever the link that binds them to Home," Mir M'lndoe pointed out : "He has a larg« variety of occupations from which to select, as men do not stick very strictly to their own trades, he has a fine, healthy, bracing climate in which to work ; if his occupation be outdoor, the number of days in the year on .which he can work is more than in Britain ; his hours of labour are shorter, being eight, ond if he work overtime it is at increased wages; his daily pay i* at; lea^t one-half more than at Home, whilst th© price of provisions is considerably cheaper, clothing almost as cheap, and far less fuel for firing is required. He can in a short time, by the exercke, . of ordinary economy, save as much as will enable • him- to buy' a section of land and buiki a houee of his own. with a garden attached. - in which he can employ himself m hia leisure hours." That was the prospect held out for the worker in 1875.