The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1867-12-28

that the employers had refused, but that the,
mcans 70 insist on this piecawork regulation
We should tel them We should not supper.
them In that, beeaBse We have no binding
law 20 say that piecewerk shall bs prohibit
r Are you speaking Of your own individual
! opinionf No, say that under the very
highest authority.
What authority The authority of the
executive council, who alone have tie power
to decide that men shall have support o.
mot. sati
Where is that authority exprssssd2 You
will ind in rule thirteen the powsrs Of the
executive council 1t i not expressly pro-
yidcd that IN this, that, and the other case
they shall have this, that, aud the other
power, but they have general power given
them.
! Cheirman-Is that expressed or Il tba.
understood? IL Is not expressed.
asked the question because d. NOT find
any power under Which the execut. We coun-
cIl could order men out. Ifthey think there
ought 80 be strike, do they send down
wordf No, they are che last 20 send down
word 70 order . stfike. When they arc ap-
pesled to they ask fer good cause TO Be show =
strike. a. -ss'77-'~''
Mr. Roebusi i%lr apposing that there wa, q
job going on aud that there was young man
who had been Eve years q workman, and
that ne was pretty good workman, and
supposing there was another man, rather
an cid man, who'was also very clever, and
the clever man we're TO say, 'We!l, now, I
think my work 10 worth good deal more
than this young mans will you, give me
more for my work 7 do more than be does
and do it better" would il be contrary to
the rules of your society that be should re-
ceiye mores Certainly not.
And do such things ever occur as for
superior man to ask for higher wages :
Certainly; and we not attempt to prevent
it.
Supposing that in the same workshop there
were two men Of these different powers OF
workmanship which | have indicated, end
that one Of them received so many s1iilines
week, and the other so many sbillings
more, would there be any offence taken at
that circamstance2 None whatever; we
could not lake offence al aFJ one, man get
ting more than another, and getting less
than he was really worth, and 80 making Il
open TO bis employer 70. reduce the wages
Of the other. Then it would be matter Tor
the society to say whether that man should
not receive higher wages.
supposing that the really clever man says,
81 will do ny work for 24s. week." and
that then the. employer says swell, then,
this man, who is very inferior to you, is only
worth 2Ss., or 22s., or 2ls.," shodid you
take notice Of thatf II the man work
ing for less wages was not worth 90 much
We could not help ourselves, but say that
IN each town we attempt to FIX minimum
rate Of wages, and we do not like men TO
work for q less sum- asfR /
Should you not say that you attempt to
hx mailman rates No, We never fx
that.
-. Of Lich6eld-Have you any rule as
10 wagsss = Simply that man 20 Es t. mem
Der Of our society shall receive the average
lscssp as .ssSesf i will read o few words from
one Of our rules which WIGS quoted in the
Bradford Police court. 1t is there stated
that the imam must receive e average rate |
OF wages given In the town Ia which he b
empl0yed.D
Mr.. Roeback-fIere 10 man, suppose, Of |
superior power and intelligence, and be
maxes 24s. week doyou mean to say that I
bis rate Of wages il tie sssgs.ag sssgs .ags rate : No,
MS would oe 96ove the average, 4
g v 80 - ~ sh average rate Of wages The
rate which is.eenersfiy paid l.. me district,
that which issgenerally agreed upon between
The employersan workmen 10 be the gen.
sral rats Of wages. That is q thing which
can be soon ascertained In any shop full
of men you can soon find out how their wages
generally run. sat tz .-a
Earl of Lichfeld What is at this moment
the minimum rate Of wages which you ALLOW
any OF your members to receive in London.
Eight pence an hour.
II. they work for less than Sd. an hour, do /
they cease to be members Of your society, /
that is to say, are they exPellsds No. We
have found that there are many young men
who come up from tho country to London
who are not used to London work, but are
opinion that it would be better to set our I
faces against every man who did not receive /
as high rate OF wages as we we're receiving |
but Of late more comprehensive policy has |
prevailed, and the men say, mo, ID is better
to take them by the hand il 10 better to
help them to earn the higher rate of wages
than blame them for getting the lower"
There are, however, many societies thtt do
not accept melmbers unless they are geztine
a certain rate, bat we find il advantageous
to take the men In, even II they getrs''
less at fi-st. .
Mr.. Roebuck-You raG1r Sc
against q ,caessf caessSf ssho takes "
you notl II q man knoRir
than the rate we do set ou-
that, because 1t tends to
wages Of all the men, exce
as / have Just named.
Earl Of Lichfeld-In sh.
ing slack do you often ms
with yor own members2
full in accepting reductf
think we ought TO be, 4
cases during this severe
when we hare counssT
short time and thus
il other cases !ksg IT, h.. h..
ing.
And they have not
your sooety for so doing
Mr.. Hughes-As underst tant
that before the men il admitted TO sus 90
ciety they must have been Eve years az the