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the Town Depot—viz. for loading mixture, rough dust, ground and
materials into railway trucks at 1½d. per ton, and a payment of 6d. per
hour for any loss of time through waiting for trucks or orders for
loading, with a lad to trim the trucks—be approved.
After a long debate the Vestry ultimately adopted with unanimity
the following amendment proposed by Mr. Bridges:—
That having considered the report of the Roads and Dep6t Committee the
Vestry disagrees with it, and resolves that the old hands resume
their loading work to-morrow (Thursday) on the old conditions, viz.
6d. per hour; and that the whole system of the working of the
Depots he referred to a Committee of the whole Vestry for inquiry
and report.
The men were accordingly reinstated at 6d. per hour, and after
an interval of some four months the Clerk read the following report
to the Vestry at its meeting on the 30th October 1895:—
My proposal to pay the Loaders engaged in the Town Depot 2½d. per
ton, with a lad to trim the trucks, and day work at 6d. per hour when
waiting for trucks or not fully engaged in loading, was rejected, you will
remember, on the 12th June last, and you ordered the men to be reinstated
at 6d. per hour.
The cost of loading the mixture is now only a fraction under 7d. per
ton. Even allowing 3d. per ton, the cost allowed in previous years, the
extra price represents a loss to the ratepayers of £500 a year.
It is manifestly unfair, in comparing our system attending the
disposal of Town refuse with those systems adopted by other metropolitan
Vestries, to saddle my management with an unnecessary charge of 4d. per
ton.
It is also impossible for the Yard Foreman, with his other duties,
always to stand over these men ; and if he did, and reported any one of
them to myself, what right have I, in the face of your order, to decide
what is a fair day's work for these men to perform, which would simply
mean piecework under a payment of 6d. per hour?
I am not surprised at the letter read to the Vestry at its last meeting
from Mr. Fitch, the General Secretary of the National Municipal Labour
Union, nor do I blame the men for belonging to this Union to protect
their interests; but the Vestry, as employers of labour, have a duty to
perform to the general body of ratepayers, and have no right to expend
money unnecessarily in support of their workmen or any particular
Union.
The Vestry must admit that it would place the Yard Foreman and
myself in a very invidious position to pick out any one, two, or more of
these men as not working fairly. The Union would intervene, an inquiry
follow, and much unnecessary feeling be created ; whereas if a payment
per ton was put into force the men themselves would take care that every
man engaged in loading did his fair share of the work.