POLITICAL INFLUENCE

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 423, 4 February 1909, Page 5

POLITICAL INFLUENCE

VAbsQ L UTE LY;; ROTTE N.!!. ;;;'v'.'J;X'-is';ii;tßi"TEijSSiiAPn'-:rBESS ASSOCIATION.J: J^ : '-:SiJ : with; a^'-Ljttelton; Times", :;"(; '[- : 'Reportery, ; a'. man•who ; . has had /practical ;exi V'/.^pmoricp^of/tijo:,wdri ;in -the; Addingtdii'Rail-; .':•:-y■'■.';{■-w.ay-j.worlcsh'ops,'.and ! -w.ho/has : alsp served : ,in' : :! /S;S; ; His- views -were ;':^ : '?.BuWnioctSup in;his;final ; statement:{S ; >/-;^ ! ;i'-¥'o ■^'i;''T|efeJis/ ; not -much .wrone-'with" /the .way.; ho'-saidi'v''A'/man"::who'' has experience j in/big Engineering'; shops/at'. ; : Sy' v Hoine] basi.told; melthat; the;, work "at • Addirig>.;^vHtbnKiS'las^h'ardVas/ it^is' ; for .'■■'J ;.' : iy^instance,- rotten.: •Svfit;iis J Jneffioieirb;/'aridSwasteful,T;/and.::'it .does; Vt> :<" i not^ncourage'.;a i ;inah\t<);(ld his;.bSst : /\TOrk.'V.v "?S■■ '^plii/jthe;.Hillside.VshopSi;;iie said,'; the'/.tools-. ■':rf:* W(3ro ; ;inodenii: and ; icomplete./; / : ;In/Addington' : X [ l h;S tb/ e" *. pi >: for. :.th'e -/fitters: \vas;. de-" v$5K--ficieh^ ; -Vt6;;a.: ; C time./ , ; .';ljab6urers' ha d- /been: ■ put , ; on ~r ] if\ "petent/ men' spent; bourse rectifying ■ tbe/blurid-; *•/s% ;ers : :'pf other-peoplei'/andimaterial was.:wasted //JVfiin that ; wbuld. npt/ibe ;tblerated;on; ■; a 'vpriyately-OTvned :.:workshbp., : ;/That- sort; .of : > : .:*:;vthingr;Hadvhappe'ned;'agam.and : •. ■:' V,.- -V l :i"Dp>.ypu"> mean /to: S3y ..tKafia/manr.is- put i;s<:ient?'vaslced. ; the'reporter/;,v ■;;;/:.( r:':;S':-,"4 , 'ttrtainly;'V^'repli.^ , Appointment ;thrpugUjpolitical:/inr ;/:..:':ifluericei'vand^.s^ J;SV/;3sqfSdepartmMts': ; do)'Mt : ;'■;;: : -£;:pr^cpnscientioils.' endugb;to/-: shall ;bej -/An ':wj , :frpni: the hcad'ioffipe';that/a'.cer-;-i;i: *?.taifi^inan^ia.'ito : ;';be ;taken;-priy/ and*he/gets; a V-'?-:y i whether v; he -M is.;:• coin-; i::npt^'.^ l r?Shaye' ; /;;/ seen v ;;-; ineh S^ ; t iJ K'H/j incompetent. ¥ Mindy:l4in" not condemning fall : oThennanagerv at K> WvMdingtdii sis '■a* good: mn^/"p^hp-:» : foremari $ : irfi bpileriaakerj^who: .out jfdf; Special' - i : s3Us f fi : 'pno;>:or , &'is firid>;rt:.; /Hp: ; ■•;vworks":'; v ./ i J Hard 'iAVand-kVeps/them''upytb! the/marki'/'and'tliey : ■■'•■:'.? are^Batisfjed:'becausb: they; 'MiwS-tha't-they/ treatment;';: jThere/arel .other ineh -in'.' ' r, : : :iesponsible V p6sitionii;,/ ; .whoV-are. 'absolute v/. f : v J v ,wastßrs;^;' : They s iare s ;h6t'capable ;'pf; ; ; S : iS^J-r -/,:;■:' '-C<'si& >S:^'ij ;^skedVfpr'^an; inaterial;Ho ; which;; hadj ref efredyjthbiman !SS^said-:?tliat;;-laEt";year. : :the; Addingtbn' , .shops. ■;-' ; '-:.::'.turneds';oOT ; v:the/ifirst'\l:lo(»m6tiv^;'o^^^

pattern. The plans were supplied from the head office in Wellington. Three sets of brake gear had to be manufactured at a cost of 'about £60 each time, because tho plans vrere faulty. The first set fouled the spring i gear; tho second sot was too weak. At the , third»attempt a satisfactory ' design was evolved, When tho boiler was put down on the frame Iho st«aApipes could not be got in because of their design, and a new lot of pipes had to be made. Again the fault lay -.■nitlndesigners. The "first locomotive took five months to build, but with the perfected design evolved by a process of'costly experiment it was now possible to build,one in less than half the time. ' In ,the course of further conversation, the ~ workshops man • mentioned various other ■ grievances, all based ,on the ( lack , of " efficient control. r There were good foremen in tho cervico/and the hands serving under these foremen got fair pay and fair treatment. On the other hand, there ■werejbad foremen, men who seemed to have ' pot,their billots through a "pull" of somo ' description, and under these officers the con- , ditions were, entijely t had, < , ) 'Wher6vor political' influendeHnd'b&n''allowed'to touch tho

shops, trouble had resulted. ;;iA concluding question , elicited the state- , ment that tho workshops men would be very careful "about giving evidence against their , superiors, because ' they belieypd that such t action would imperil their billets, - "Already thero are notices up in the shops 6ayipg that we are not to give away information," be remarked. "Some of Uβ don't _mind taking the chance, but a great many of tho men won't be in any hurry to come forward with statements against men .who ,may aftojwaids remain in control."

1 SCOPE OF THE INQUIRY. In. reply, to a telegram jrom.Mr. Taylor, H.P., to the effect that the inquiry into tho complaints regarding methods at Addington Railway Workshops to prove effectivo should start at the top and work downwards, the Minister for Railways has telegraphed: ' "In reply to your further telegram regarding proposed inquiry at Addington, I am not aware that hundreds of men are impeached. What Ido know is that the smiths' .and boilermakers' shops have been reported as not doing satisfactory work. A full inquiry will be made into tho charges, which must necessarily cover the whole question of working in the workshops, and as the general manager is responsible for all work on s tho railways, he, as well as , others, will'have,to explain the position, but beyond tho administration of the workshops no power will be given . to tho commissioners to investigate. "(Signed) J. A. MILLAR."