LYTTELTON HARBOR BOARD

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 10, 6 July 1911, Page 5

LYTTELTON HARBOR BOARD

STAFF'S WAGES DISCUSSED. By Telegraph—Press Association. Christchurch, Last Night. A notice of motion by Mr.' T. E. Taylor that an all-round increase in wages of 5 per cent, be granted to the Lyttelton Harbor Board's employees receiving less than £ 175 per annum was discussed today. Mr. Taylor said that it seemed to be a very easy matter for salaried officers to obtain increases, but it was entirely different when they came to the daily wage man. One of the board's officers had recently got an increase of £IOO a year.

Mr. Kaye: "Very well deserved, too!" Mr. Taylor said that he was not assuming otherwise, but conditions ol labor fell very lightly on a salaried officer as compared with the wages man. He did not believe that the whole time of the engineer was employed in connection with the working of his office, and the board • light to have his time. Mr. C. Cook seconded the motion.

The chairman (Mr. Friedlander) made a suggestion that the matter be referred to the harbor improvement committee. Mr. Taylor agreed with this, and suggested that the whole schedule of hours of employment of the staff should be j gone info. j The chairman said that the engineer ! was under a special agreement. I Mr. Kaye said that Mr. Taylor's reference to the engineer was in exceed- j ingly bad taste. The board had been unanimous in its appreciation of the engineer's work. They congratulated themselves that they lisid the services of such ail eminent engineer. He believed that the workers were content, and discussion could only raise a spirit of discontent. lie deprecated comparison between their engineer and the ordinary worker, whose wages were subject to awards. He did not think that there would be any chance of the board departing from its previous position. Mr. Tavlor said that evidently Mr. Kaye Ciid not know much about the wfU'iittig man. After further discussion, in the course of which Mr. C. Allison said that the wages paid by the board were, equal to those paid by other bodies, the matter was referred to the committee. In the report of the harbor improvements committee, certain increases to the staff aggregating £3.58 7s per annum were provided for. These were referred back.