WORK FOR WORKLESS

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 269, 6 August 1908, Page 7

WORK FOR WORKLESS

CONDITIONS AT BROKEN RIVER. RESIDENT ENGINEER'S STATEMENT. . TEMPORARY DISCOMFORT BUT NO ■. REAL HARDSHIPS,/ • (by teleoeapii—muss association.) Chrlstohuroh, August 5. Interviewed yestorday regarding tho . complaint as to tho conditions of life and treatment of tho men employed on tho Midland Railway works at Broken Rivor, the Resident Engineer (Mr. • J. H. Lewis) states that the mon had certainly no poorer treatment than was usual on tho Otago Central work, where he was occupibd ten years, and, with the oxception of tho temporary discomfort for a short while, duo to accidental circumstances, thoy had no real hardships to .put up with. There were socio to whom discomfort was for a timo inevitable, such, for instance, as ono young draper, but lie was sticking to' tho work, and though it was heavy for him ho would probably ! hold it down. All'tho mon fropi Christchurch were until-yesterday working by tho day it Bs., in. order. to see how best to apply them, and out of them fully one hundred, would turn out"good workmen.' Thoso who were working, wore nearly all shaping very well. ■ The newcomers have now started on contract, with'a few exceptions, and it has been estimated by several persons capable of judging that those' among thorn who would earn Bs. a day in private employment at Such work will bo able to make 9s. a day. It will depend Upon thoir progress, however, for only a small percentage seem to bo used to navvying. The gang that worked yesterday were certainly not unduly exerting themselves, and if they wore able to make' a living wage at that rate there was ample to come and go upon if profit was desired. In the case of men who woro quite unable to earn good wages themselves, try their best, they were drafted into competent gangs and were generally'being decently treated by their'mates; Thb Erigincor stated that a gratifying privilege had recently 'been granted by the Department in allowing a good man to be put in each ordinary gang and paid a shilling" a day extra. '."V ■ The actual expenditure of eaoh of the men was; roughly assessed for tho first month as follows :—I are, 3s. 6d.; tools, 10s.; fuel average, / 155.; stores, maximum credit • al* lowedj £3; total, £4 Bs. 6d.; or allowing a liberal margin £5. The earnings might safely bo placed at £9. In a few exceptional cases, and. thesfi wpro most distressing, the men had nothing but what they stood up in. Tho new arrivals were engaged upon work which would not otherwise have been touched for. some time—that of a large' number of men who were making cuttings for a dozen miles boyond tho present terminal, and were withdrawn to .assist on the Main Trunk line. (Their work had now been re-opened, and the amount of cleaning up necessary explained why the.men had been working by the day. . According to a reporter, who visited the works yestorday, there are many men on the works who have had long experience on other, works, and they all say that tho conditions comparo verv well with others in the Dominion, especially with thoso in tho North Island. The erection of the. tents was a privilege that had not been granted before, and the workers generally aro very .satisfied with their luck "during the last few days.:. , Tho overseer on'the relief works states that he has received no complaints at all from tho new workers,,while many havo definitely oxpressed their' ontiro satisfaction now that they have settled down. The first few days were trying, owing to' insufficient accommodation and -short : but when tho tents were supplied tho men became comfortable, and Mr. Lewis told the reporter; as a matter of which ho was fairly certain, that those men who lasted the first fortnight would.be likely to stay on for.the next two years.