, 1873-02-19

against the other party.
In therefore starting from the view, held by
the Majority, that it is a perfectly dignifed and
perfectly justified exercise of duty on the part
of the public Legislature to give detailed rules
for those matters, the main object will at the
same time be that they be so given that both par
ties may thereby be served and TO that end
the Commission has been unanimous in cOnsi-
dering the old Labour-R Regulations, as they arc
on paper, to be no longer anSWerable since it
is only by means of the accommodations intro
duced in practice, in many instances directly
opposed to the Law, and only in the confidence
that those accommodations would continue, that
many planters still find themselves so well
pleased with the Regulations.
No further argument is requisite 10 sheW
that he foundation of this adjustment must, as
hitherto, be a stipulated w0rking-time and sti-
puIated rates cf pay. Perfect liberty to con-
tract on those two points would make the La
bour Regulations superfaous in every other
point,
IF against the yearly contracts-which as
already stated are to remain untouched-it has
not been objected that il ought reasonably to be
left to the planter himself to decide if he be
we'll served by then, or not SO neither can
there scarcely be any objections against fixed
working-day&, and the parties cannot, when
making their contract, s|tipulate any other work
days or a less nnmber Of them, than so prcscrib-
ed ;-While the daily working hours and the
pay whenever they be given as days~Wage&,
will depend on each other. An Estate striking
off one hour Of the stipulated working time or
adding one fourth to the wages, could as a
matter Of course, have no rival in the Iabour-
market. These are things which, as every
one will be aware, necessarily require a uniform
and mutual action on the part of the employers.
The weak point in the old system, that name
ly certain work that could be gained by free dis
tribution and by Offering wages above the GEN
eral rates, may be lost, and that it is unfair
that the stronger and harder working labourer
should be debarred from getting higher wages
for his work than the idle and lazy labourer,
has been point d out by Government, and can
not be undervalued. The unalterabjo nature
of the system of days wages must be reiin-
pushed.
We propose to that end, 1, to admit the pay
m9nt Of wages according to the quantity Of
work done, instead of the time spent or it,
either in the form Of task-work or Of eItra-pay
fer work exceeding what was agreed on as an
ordinary days work Ii. e. about hours work.;
2, TO allow extra wages for work done in extra
hours (beyOnd those already prescribed in crop
time) and 3, TO allow exceptions in reference
to individuals, whose work require peculiar
qualifications, but which work is not usually
given out as t~ask-work. For the nav in
these cases We propose no limit and if to this
be added that besides the sort of work men
toned above sub No. 8, also such sort Of task
work which needs no special supervision and
which therefore is not generally performed by
labourers working together in a gang, will not
be confined to certain fixed working-hours, be
yond what is necessary from the nature of the
work itsclf,-We believe that both interests will
be fully served in this manner.
We are prepared 10 hear the objection advan-
o8d, that it appears inconsistent, while providing
that work shall be remunerated according to the
quantity performed and not the time spent on 1t,
at the same time to require fixed working
hours; but our object has very naturally been,
after having first removed the unfairncss to-
wards the labourers, to seek to obtain an in
crease Oflab0ur; this would not only be impos-
sible, but it would also, not to q very great ex--
tent too, lead to waste of labour, if it were sti-
pulated for that work not remunerated accord
ing to the time spent on it, the work
ing hours are to be free. As already OBJ
served by a Majority Of this Commission, task
work has often been tried, but the returns were
not very satisfactory. A certain portion Of
wOrk-a task-was set before the labourer :;
that was a "days work" and was remunerated
with the price of an ordinary days work after
that portion of work was completed, and if the
labourer desired to ommenc another, he was
quite welcome to do so if he were not SO in