Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-03-16
4 HALF HOLIDAY EVERY WEEK
Government Guards the Interest
of the Worhngman.
RIGID FACTORY LAW
Copyright, 1901, by Frank C Carpenter)
.,oc;,I ,-.,--a-,,.,p,iarca Of Tho Evenip1 Star

American consul who lives in one of the
suburbs under the shadow of Mount Eden,
and had started back on foot when met a
coarsely dressed. rosy-cheeked, bright
eyed, healthy-looking young man and asked
him to direct me to the Star Hotel
Il am going that way said he. "and, IL
you will walk with me. 1 will show YOU"
So we went along together.
How are times here?'' said 1.
Very good" was the reply. 1--WE all
have plenty OF work and we get enough to
keep us from starving
What is your business?" l asked.
81 belong to the STRENGTHENING brigade.
/ have job with the city, and I get
shiIlings Cabout s2) per day.
What hours do you work.
"Oh!'' with a laugh my hours are not
bad. No one here works more than forty
eight hours a week. We put in enough
time on the first five days. so that we can
have a half holiday Saturday. We street
cleaners have a soft thing We have only
four hours work on Saturday. We begin
at 1 o'clock in the morning and get through
by S, so that We really have the whole day
for ourselves"
But how about wages on Saturday."
The wages are just the same for the
other days. | suppose | should say l get
As shillings (S12) per week. instead of
shillings day.
FOrty-EiGht Hours week.
work and wages in New Zealand. This is
the land of the eight-hour day and the
weekly half holiday. So far as the men are
concerned, the laws do not fix the number
of hours, but forty-eight working hours is
the usual week of the lahoring man, and
every person has his weekly half holiday.
Where there is no weekly arrangement the
day lasts for eight hours and when men
are employed by the week they piece out
the eight-hour day by working overtime so
as to give them only four five hours
Saturday or some other day of the week.
All government employees put in forty-eight
hours a week The various trades unions
fix this as their time and at present the
only people who work longer are the men
the farms and the clerks in the stores
There are a few trades which necessarily
require some overtime, but, a rule, the
unions equalize this and the law steps in
and supports the unions in their rules
1t was recently decided in a trouble be-
tween the employers and the shoemakers
of Auckland that forty-eght hours must be
considered full weeks work, and that no
shoemaker should be paid less than 20 cents
an hour. The Auckland butchers limit
theiT labor to sixty-one hours but they
take off nine hours of that time for meals
The wages of the different classes of
butchers are fixed by law and the en-
ployer who breaks the law will be fined
not to exceed $50.
l have before me some decisions of the
government boards of Cancellation and ar
bitration regulating such matters In all
n
heId and an hour rate of from % to 80 per
cent higher than the regular wages is
charged for all overtime.
The Weekly Half Holiday
The weekly half holiday Is compulsory
The day Is usually fixed by the local au-
thorities and the factory or merchant who
keeps his store open Is fined for doing so,
even if he dismisses his employees If the
merchant keeps his clerks he is fined for
that. 1 see record OF a man in Foxton
VINO employed two boys under eighteen
years of age on Saturday afternoon a few
months ago He was called I'D by the
court and heavily fined. Another man
employed a carter to work on half holi-
day. He paid about IS and costs The
saloonists here have scratched the country
as with fine tOothcomb for pretty girls
10 act as barmaids- The law provides that
every barmaid must be given her half
holiday once a week. or the saloonist pays
30 1t is the same with all classes of
clerks and it is the same In the fac
tories.
The question of the day on which the
people are to take their weekly vacation
Is usually settled by the municipal au-
thoriues- 1t is fixed in January of each
year and continues from then until some
other day is appointed In some towns
1t Is Tuesday. in some Wednesday, in
some thursday and in many Saturday.
saturday Is the day usually chosen for
the factories, even though the stores in the
same town may close another day If
Saturday is the day fixed there are certain
classes OF men, such as grocers butchers
and market men. who may meet together
and choose another day for their regular
holiday.
Hard on the Drummers.
This closing of the stores for one-halr
day each week seriously disarranges the
work OF the commercial travellers The
merchants Will not buy a holiday and
the statesmen have to regulate their trips
70 Slxf he h1Ii
days. The railroad guides publish the names
OF the towns. with the days of the week
set aside as holidays opposite each town
On half holiday the streets are as de-
serted as on Sunday There are cricket
matches. golf meetings and excursions
Most OF the people put on their best clothes
and go TO the parks. and the whole town
takes a vacation. Some go off into the
country and you will now and then meet
a man on a tramp trip from Saturday to
Monday. On such days the saloons are
usually open; They are not known as
saloons. but hotels. and you never expect
hotel TO shut up. AS far as l can see
however. there Is much less drinking at
such times than you would expect. and
nothing like that of Saturday afternoons
In the cities OF Scotland.
The clerks seldom work much more than
eight hours day. / have gone along the
streets at 8 O'Clock in the morning and
found many Of the stores still closed There
Is also a proviso that merchants and banks
must close their places at In the after
iAoOIS AOt t"O-tulruS OF eaCn month. There
is penalty for delivering goods on a
half holiday. and the law provides that
the clerks shall not be worked longer on
ordinary days to make up for their half
holiday.
Chat With the Secretary for Labor.
1t was to ask some questions about this
and other labor matters that 1 called the
other day upon the Honorable Edward Tre-
gear, at the labor department in yelling
ton. New Zealand has a department OF
labor which ranks even with the other de-
partments of the government. 1t Is on the
same basis as the Treasury Department and
Agricultural Department, and the secre-
tary for labor has much influence In
New Zealand as a cabinet minister has I'm
the United States. The present head Of
the labor department Is Mr.. Tregear He
has been secretary for labor for the past
decade. and has been one of the prime
movers In all OF New Zealands expert
ments for the benefit of the laboring men.
1t was In his office at the department
OF labor that I met Mr.. Tregear He Is