Page 2 Advertisements Column 4

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2250, 23 July 1908, Page 2

The distinction between a hammer ami a wire strainer lias been forcibly brought home to the Petone Borough Council-. According to the ‘‘New Zealand Times”, the borough engineer recently put on a. casual! hand — an out-of-work —to ussist one of the permanent hands to erect a rough rail and batten fence. Now, to nail a batten to a. fence is an operation which demands the skill of a specialist, and, therefore, 'must bo paid for on ta. special scale. A letter was read at Monday night’s meeting of the Council from the Labor Department, intimating that a breach of the Wellington carpenters’ award had occurred in connection, with the work in question. Two workers were employed nailing on battens, and for tlie work on the batten fence each should bo paid not less than Is 4d per hour, whereas one man had been paid less than Is per hour, and the other 9s per day of 8 hours 40 minutes. As the Council was -probably under a. misapprehension the inspector stated that- if the arrears wore paid forthwith action would ho takefi,