134 A COLONIAL AUTOCRACY. 



latter day they still had to muster for church-parade, " shaved 

 and in clean clothes ". At the same time an increase in rations 

 which brought them up to I Ib. of meat and I Ib. of wheat a 

 day was expected to compensate them for the increase in the 

 hours of labour. 1 Those within barracks enjoyed also a liberal 

 supply of vegetables, and they were, on the whole, the only men 

 who greatly benefited by the change. In the summer Govern- 

 ment gangs commenced work at six o'clock, had one hour off 

 for breakfast and one for dinner, and thus had a ten hours' day 

 and a fifty hours' week. In the winter they commenced work 

 after breakfast at nine o'clock and continued until six, with an 

 hour's intermission for dinner, thus doing eight hours' work or 

 forty hours in the week. 



The Saturday holiday was necessary for the men out of 

 barracks that they might make their lodging money, to the men 

 in barracks that the overseers might bring their men's rations 

 from the Government store. But this freedom on Saturday 

 and Sunday to a great extent undid the wholesome effects of 

 the restraint throughout the week. Wentworth found that 

 Monday was his heaviest court-day and that most of the Govern- 

 ment servants spent their free time in drinking, fighting, gam- 

 bling and committing petty larcenies. 2 



When Macquarie wrote to Lord Bathurst about the new 

 barracks, the latter was rather troubled by the account of its 

 advantages given by the enthusiastic founder. He feared that 

 Macquarie's attention to the convict's comforts rendered trans- 

 portation an ineffective punishment. 3 The rations were too 

 liberal and the week's work too easy. 4 



This opinion was shared by most of the colonists, especially 

 those who were not themselves in Government service. As 

 interested spectators they quickly saw that discipline in the 

 Government gangs was very slack, 5 and that the work was done 

 in a leisurely and slovenly manner. Much was to be accounted 



1 There was nearly a mutiny among the sawyers at Penmant Hills on account 

 of the longer hours. See Evidence of Major Druitt, Appendix, Bigge's Reports. 

 R.O., MS. 



'- Wentworth's Evidence, Appendix, Bigge's Reports. R.O., MS. 



3 D. 5, 27th March, 1820. C.O., MS. 4 Ibid. 



6 Discipline in the Government service naturally affected the men in the 

 settlers' service. 



