The Woodhill Relief Works.

Auckland Star, Volume XVII, Issue 205, 1 September 1886, Page 6

The Woodhill Relief Works.

(To tho Editor.) Sir, —As tho writer of the letter published in your issue of Thursday last, which Mr Moes states culminated in his visit to the relief work", will you kindly permit me space to comment upon Mr Moss's eloquo_t, manly, and descriptive letter in your issue of tho 2Sth instant. And first, on behalf of all that are employed on the relief works, let me publicly thank Mr Moss for his kind and spirited action in personally visiting and seeing for himself what human flesh will endure at W'oodhill to obtain bread. W T e desiro to recognise the service he has rendered us, and the sympathy he has ox tended to his fellowmen. Let him be assured that we appreciate "true grit," and when occasion rises we will record our votes that his use-fulness may bo extended. Referring now to hia letter, Mr Moss is incorrect in stating that we work "four hours in the wet and four hours in the clay." Sir, we worked in that wretched canal 74 hours daily. On the bottom wo stand up to knees in slimy muck and clay, so tei.acious that it is with the utmost difficulty one is able to drag his legs out of the holo that his weight makes. For this work the authorities aro so kind and contidcrate as to knock us off at 4 o'clock each day, whilst tho favoured few, who work all day on the bank of tho canal amongst tho mud, continuo their labour until 5 o'clock. But, after working our 7i hours in this bitter, biting, cold runnii.g stream, in tho coldest of weathers, in thuuder and lightning, iv h.iUtorms and rain, drouchod to the skin, and several pounds of yellow clay sticking to our boots and to tho legs of our pants, we roturn to what ? Certainly not to a comfortable fireside, but to the dreariest of dreary habitations, whoro the doors and windows have so shrunk that tho wind has a clean run through, almost blowing out and completely guttering the candle ; where you get a shower-bath from tho roof, from the zinc being perforated with nail-holes ; and where all indeed is wrotchedly wretched. Again, the huts contain 20 bunks (all occupied), whilst tho rough forms, nailed to the floor, afford sitting accommodation for eight men. And those beautiful bunks are built of the greenest of green timber, in fact, so damp that a box of matches placed therein over night would not light in the morning. As Mr Moss truly says, it does require "a determined and robust mantostaud this and make three full days " per week. Respecting the labour employed on the job, Mr truly states seme are " mere boys yet in their teens, and some are grey aud worn" ; yet, young or old, married or single, ' jitrong or weak, skilled or unskilled, all alike receive the same rate of pay. is this fair and juso ? Sir, out of the 140 on the job, I will guarantee that any Auckland contractor, with a contract in hand, would, and could, pick from SO to 100 stout stalwart navvies, to which ho would be ashamed to offer 5s pec, dry. So after all the Government aro getting tho work done cheap Mr Moss has referred to more frequent passes to Auckland being allowed. Permit mo to offer this suggestion. At present pay day is every alternate Monday. Now if this was changed to every alternate Friday it would give time to square up accounts and havo Saturday and Sunday in Auckland. ' This concession would, I am sure, be a great boon to many. In conclusion, I contend that all tho.e who have boeu working in the water and wet, slimy, mud, spoiling the only clothes thoy had to thoir backs, wearing out tho only boots thoy had to their feet, and perhaps ruining their health for life, should bo com pensated fairly, and a sum of money divided amongst them, equal to, at least, 7e per day.—l am, &c, Fair Play.