he meeting proceeded to the next business.

Councillor Rushton said that several influential ratepayers and
employers of labour had complained to him about the high wages of the
Corporation workmen, some of whom were paid sevenpence-halfpenny an
hour. Sevenpence an hour was the maximum wage paid to skilled workmen
by private employers in that town, and he failed to see why the
Corporation should pay more. (Hear, hear.) It had a very bad effect
on the minds of the men in the employment of private firms, tending to
make them dissatisfied with their wages. The same state of affairs
prevailed with regard to the unskilled labourers in the Council's
employment. Private employers could get that class of labour for
fourpence-halfpenny or fivepence an hour, and yet the corporation paid
fivepence-halfpenny and even sixpence for the same class of work.
(Shame.) It was not fair to the ratepayers. (Hear, hear.) Considering
that the men in the employment of the Corporation had almost constant
work, if there was to be a difference at all, they should get not more,
but less, than those who worked for private firms. (Cheers.) He moved
that the wages of the Corporation workmen be reduced in all cases to
the same level as those paid by private firms.

Councillor Grinder seconded. He said it amounted to a positive
scandal. Why, in the summer-time some of these men drew as much as
35/- in a single week! (Shame.) and it was quite common for unskilled
labourers--fellers who did nothing but the very hardest and most
laborious work, sich as carrying sacks of cement, or digging up the
roads to get at the drains, and sich-like easy jobs--to walk off with
25/- a week! (Sensation.) He had often noticed some of these men
swaggering about the town on Sundays, dressed like millionaires and
cigared up! They seemed quite a different class of men from those who
worked for private firms, and to look at the way some of their children
was dressed you'd think their fathers was Cabinet Minstrels! No wonder
the ratepayers complained ot the high rates. Another grievance was
that all the Corporation workmen were allowed two days' holiday every
year, in addition to the Bank Holidays, and were paid for them! (Cries
of 'shame', 'Scandalous', 'Disgraceful', etc.) No private contractor
paid his men for Bank Holidays, and why should the Corporation do so?
He had much pleasure in seconding Councillor Rushton's resolution.

Councillor Weakling oppose