The Founder of the Eight Hour Working Day
Mr S. Parnell achieved fame as the founder of the eight-hour working day in New Zealand, a right he had fought for as a carpenter at Petone in early 1840. Today his name is often linked with Labour Day, which has been celebrated as a holiday since 1900.
Parnell was born in London, where as a young man he worked at a large joinery factory. Shortly after his marriage in September 1839, he left for New Zealand on the Duke of Roxburgh, arriving at Britannia (Petone) beach in early 1840. Among Parnell's fellow passengers was a shipping agent, George Hunter, who asked the carpenter to build him a store. Parnell's response has entered New Zealand folklore:
“I will do my best, but I must make this condition, Mr. Hunter, that on the job the hours shall only be eight for the day ... There are twenty-four hours per day given us; eight of these should be for work, eight for sleep, and the remaining eight for recreation and in which for men to do what little things they want for themselves. I am ready to start to-morrow morning at eight o'clock, but it must be on these terms or none at all.”
Early Celebrations
The date in October, marked the first anniversary of the establishment of the Maritime Council, an organisation of transport and mining unions. The fledgling union movement was decimated by defeat in a trans-Tasman Maritime Strike in late 1800’s but, despite this, the first Labour Day was a huge success. In Wellington, the highlight was an appearance by the elderly Parnell, who died just a few weeks later. From the mid-1890s the union movement began to recover slowly under the Liberal government. The Liberals' industrial conciliation and arbitration system, introduced in 1894, earned New Zealand a reputation of being a 'working man's paradise' and a 'country without strikes'.
Early Labour Day parades drew huge crowds in places such as Palmerston North and Napier as well as in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin. Unionists and supporters marched behind colourful banners and ornate floats, and the parades were followed by popular picnics and sports events.
These parades also had a political purpose. Although workers in some industries had long enjoyed an eight-hour day, it was not a legal entitlement. Other workers, including seamen, farm labourers, and hotel, restaurant and shop employees, still worked much longer hours. Many also endured unpleasant and sometimes dangerous working conditions. Unionists wanted the Liberals to pass legislation enforcing an eight-hour day for all workers, but the government was reluctant to antagonise the business community.
Decline as a Public Spectacle
In the first decade of the 20th century industrial unrest reappeared. The Liberal government was in decline, prices were rising and the Arbitration Court was seen as reluctant to raise wages. The more militant labour movement that emerged from around 1908 rejected the Liberals' arbitration system and condemned the increasing commercialisation of Labour Day parades. Many floats advertised businesses as well as temperance organisations, theatres, circuses and patriotic causes. Some socialists promoted May Day as an alternative celebration of workers' struggles. Although unionists and their supporters continued to hold popular gatherings and sports events, by the 1920s Labour Day had begun to decline as a public spectacle. For most New Zealanders, it was now just another holiday.
Finding the Cache
You will not find the cache at the given location, but you would be on the corner of the street where Parnell regarded as responsible for Labour Day retired to. To locate the cache find some information and solve the following simple questions.
Look for the cache at S41 1A.BCD E174 4E.FGH where
- A = Last digit of the day Parnell died
- B = Last digit of the day Labour Day was first celebrated
- C = Number of letters in the Carpenters first name
- D = Half the hours in the working day
- E = Third digit of the year Parnell returned to Wellington to live in retirement
- F = Final digit of the year the holiday was “Mondayised”
- G = Third digit year the Labour Day Act created a statutory public holiday
- H = The Month the Duke of Roxburgh arrived
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