REV. J. S. HILL ON "WEALTH AND WAGES." AN EIGHT HOURS CHAMPION. Auckland, May 20.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 370, 22 May 1889, Page 5

REV. J. S. HILL ON "WEALTH AND WAGES." AN EIGHT HOURS CHAMPION. Auckland, May 20.

The announcement of the above lecture to " young men " at the V.M.C. A. Hall, yesterday afternoon, drew together a large audience of men of middle age and maturer years — not more than ten per cent, being under thirty years of age. There were also a number of ladies present in the gallery. Mr Hill, who did not choose any Scripture text, as a peg for his remarks, began by referring to the motto carried some time ago by a procession of unemployed in London, "Hunger know 3 no law!" He wondered how many of his audience had ever telt in earnest the gnawing pangs of hunger. He had once tor six weeks been on the verge of starvation, and knew from dire experience the full significance of the motto he had quoted. If law was to be upheld, they must abolish hunger. (Applause.) Tennyson said that the Christian Church had killed its Christ (applause), and it was only too true that modern Christians had to a large extent forgotten the teachings of the greatest social reformer that ever lived. After defining the t rms wealth and wages and explaining the difference between real and normal wages, Mr Hill went on to say that the rate of wages was determined by the cost of living. In the thutetnth century Englishmen were on the level of Chinese, and earning l£d pei- day ; now they were far in advance, and what was the reason? He firmly believed it was owing to the open Bible which Englishmen had enjoyed, which had taught them that they possessed liberties and showed them how they were to be secured. At the present day the labour of six Englishmen was equal to the labour of twenty - four Frenchmen, thirty - two AusU-ians, nfty-six Spaniards, seventy-five Italians, or eighty-four Portuguese. He had not been able to find the number so far as Chinamen were concerned. (Laughter.) It was the greater use of machinery which made an Englishman's labour equal to that of four Frenchmen, etc. ; the use of machinery was rendered compulsory by the high rate of wages ruling ; and the high rate of wages in England had been secured by Acts of Parliament which limited the hours of labour, secured sanitary improvements, and raised the standard of living:. Never through the generosity of employers, but always through the compulsion of the State, had such reforms been brought about (applause) ; and, inferentially, Mr Hill contended that this supported his original proposition tLat the greater productiveness of the English race was due to the open Bible, which had taught them political liberty. He said that in New Zealand we were falling into the worst form of Old World abuses, and he pointedly alluded to tramway employees being compelled to work sixteen hours a day, and to shops being kept open till 11 p.m. It would be necessary to legislate for the restriction of the hours of labour and of trading. He cited the beneficial effects of the passing of the Factories Act in England, in increasing wages while it decreased the hours oi labour, and at the same time showed from statistics that the people had grown in intelligence and comfort. In England they had now a nine and a half houts Bill, but what would be the effect of an eight hours Bill ? Its immediate effect would be to create a demand for the labour of 1,631,572 men in addition to those now employed. He had not had time to calculate the result of a similar law in New Zealand : but it would assuredly prove most beneficial. (Applause.) Mr Hill further showed that the employment of women and children did not add to the earnings of a family. Women's wages were lower beuause of the difference in the cost of living. In England a woman could live on £40 a year, while it cost a man £100 a year. He impressed on his hearers the importance of maintaining a high standard of living in New Zealand. If they wished to do this, they would not entertain the proposal to do away with the higher standards in our public schools ; they would not reduce the wages of teachers or of anybody els.c ; and they would, in the interests of labour, capital and public morals, insist upon Parliament passing an Act to restrict labour all round to eight hours per day — (cheers) — and to compel all places of business to close nob later than 8 p.m. In reply to questions, Mr Hill explained various points in his address, and also inhis last Sunday's discourse. He was in favour of expropriating owners of city lands upon twenty-one years' notice, without compensation ; but agricultural lands were in a different position. This series of politico-economic addresses is to be continued next Sunday afternoon.