The Wairarapa Daily. SATURDAY, MAY 27, 1882. THE EIGHT HOURS ACT.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 4, Issue 1084, 27 May 1882, Page 2

The Wairarapa Daily. SATURDAY, MAY 27, 1882. THE EIGHT HOURS ACT.

WEreferrodyesterdaytoParsonGßEEN's new bill as ut curious one.. We have no desire to speak irreverently of parsons as parsons, but as politicians they are anomalies. A Wairarapa journal however should respect even political parsons, remembering that this district was once worthily represented by Parson Andrew, but it may bo said time as a specimen of a class which is now becoming common was by far the best the colony has yet produced, The Eight Hours Act introduced by Mr Gkeen is summarized by the KZ, Times as follows :

This proposed measure provides that, from and after the Ist of January, 1883, eight hours out of every twenty-four of tho legal working days of the week shall constitute a legal day's work, and forty-eight hours a legal week's work "in all occupations, whether of a mental or physical naturo": that all work or labor performed in excess of this time shall be deemed overtime, and be paid for at the same rate as the ordinary hours ol the legal day, or any such rate as may be agreed upon between employer and employed. The proposed exceptions to the operations ot the Act are domestic servants and persona employed in dairies, and all persons engaged in avocations such as allow of a lesser number of hours to be worked than those above defined.

Our readers will notice that the Act in the Hrstplace limits a working day to eight hours, but after this under tho term overtime it extends the eight hours to an unlimited number. The measure is therefore in the face of it an absurdity. Perhaps Mr Green will be able to inform us what is the difference between, say a day's work of twelve hours and a day's work of eight hours with four hours" overtime added. We think that even he will admit that there is no distinction unless a greater sum of money is paid for. the latter than the former. But does his Bill provide for this? No! It only stipulates that the extra hours shall be paid for at the same rate as the original eight hours. Now, as the State cannot possibly fix the rate at which the first eight hours are to be paid, it can exercise no control over the rate at which overtime is to be remunerated. In the' first place Mr Green's Bill fails to limit a day's work to ei<dit - hours, and in the second it is powerless . to fix the rate at which overtime should be paid. What does it accomplish then? Practically nothing at all, and even if it did secure a single point in favor of the employee it leaves the right of private contract between employer and employee untouched, and while , this power is reserved every limitation which Mr Greek can devise in theory becomes nugatory in practice. No one is more anxious than ourselves to see that our fellow men do not | beoome physically and morally deter- ■ iorated by too long hours of labor, and , any proposal which will have the slightest chance of remedying the evil • will have our hearty support, We object, however, to pour water into a sieve, after the fashion of Mr Green, though he is entitled to some credit for.bringing the subject prominently . .before the Legislature. We anticipate that his own proposals will be condemned, but we hope to see some ' mgßSlMP'brought out by them which will better eolith the difficulty. It ■ is possible that a"ctetrgs-.iniglit serted in our Municipal Achgiving ! Borough Councils, at the request of the J ratepayers, the right to close all stores at a fixed' hour. An experiment of this kind might be worth trying, as it would relieve a larger proportion of those who are now agitating for shorter hours of labor from the disabilities under which they live, Of course it would only be adopted in towns where public opinion was in its favor, and if it proved a success it might lead up to further legislation on the question. The subject of shorter hours of labor is a very' difficult one to (led with, and while we are of the opinion that it should be touched by legislation, we feel that the first step taken should be a very cautious. one, and that it should bo'tentative and provisional in its character.