PUBLIC WORKS

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 230, 23 June 1921, Page 6

PUBLIC WORKS

REQUESTS BY EMPLOYEES SOME MINOR GRIEVANCES QUESTION OF RELIEF WORKS .* A deputation representing public works employees throughout New Zealand intervieived the Minister of Public Works (Hon. J. G. Coates) yesterday, in order to ventilate some grievances and make certain requests. The chief engineer of tho Public Works Department (Mr. F. W. Furkert) was present. The deputation was headed by Mr. R. Cook, assist-ant-secretary of tho New Zealand Workers’ Union.

Mr. Cook explained that the deputation represented all the public works employees, and included two organisers who had travelled over the country. He suggested that flic Minister should allow one of his officers through Now Zealand with* a representative of the union, so that the agreement might be interpreted and outstanding points cleared up. Mr. R. Beban (Otira) referred to matters connected with the Otira tunnel. He mentioned first a claim for compensation made on behalf of a man who contracted a septic knee while engaged in the tunnel. The Department had refused compensation, on the ground that the accident had not been reported when it occurred. The p<aisonous water in the tunnel often caused minor cuts and scratches to become septic. Another grievance related to motormen and drivers. The union claimed that the firstclass rate of 19s. per day should be paid to all motormen, and 18s. to guards. At present tho rates varied in an unsatisfactory manner, and the union claimed 'that flat rates should be established. The workers generally were happy and contented under, tho co-operative system. A third grievance was that one man on tho Otira works had not received holiday pay because he broke his period of service technically owing to, taking a contract for the supply of 'timber to the tunnel.

Mr. J. E. MacManus (Southland), who had travelled among public works employees as an organiser, complained that the Public Works Department had been guilty of a “violation of agreement" by placing men on relief works at less than the standard rate of wages. The Minister: Did I enter into an agreement regarding relief works? Mr. MacManus: You entered into an agreement,with the construction workers. The Minister: Yes.- There are the two grades—the men on ordinary works and the men on special relief works. Mr. MacManus suggested that relief workers had been placed on works that formerly had employed ordinary labour at standard rates. He argued that this was a violation of the Peace Treaty, which had provided that, labour should not be treated as a /immodity. There was no necessity for' the cut in wages. ",0 Department, had employed over 5000 inen in February, during tho busy season, but had reduced the number later when conditions were slacker. It would have been quite possible to co-operate with the local bodies in order to prevent unemployment becoming serious. Mr. MacManus proceeded to claim that some men had not received all the holiday leave Urey were entitled to. The Department mrelrt to provide portable huts instead of fonts in southern districts during the P. Robertson referred to housing accommodation at Mangahao. He thought it unfair to build a hall for recreation purposes while married men with families had to live in tents. _ Mr Coatfes: Arc there many married men ’there who have not got accommoRobertson: There are four at the present time. « Mr. Coates: I take it that huts are under construction. ’ _■ Mr. Robertson: “Yes, sir. Ihe huts were under construction, but they were stoped while timber was provided for tlris hall ” The power-house camp consisted entirely of tents Married men had refused to take their families there and as, they were living in bhannon the) asked 'for travelling time. . Mr J. Thom (Mangahao) said that the men who lived in Shannon had to pay rent and so suffered an additional disadvantage He expressed general approval o tho accommodation that had bp en P ro ' vided by the Department at Mangahao, but complained that the new tents were of inferior quality. Ho thought they were made of cheese-cloth. The baths and other conveniences supplied by the Department were excellent, but there ought to be a lent for each man. Mr J. B. Williams (northern construction works) spoke of grievances on northern works. Mattresses were supplied free at one camp, while a charge of 16s. was made at a second camp and 253. at a third camp. The Minister said he had met the men mentioned quite recently and had asked them for complaints. ’Uiey did not mention the mattresses to him. Mr. Williams complained about lack of huts on some works. Tire Minister ■ said he and his officers wished to provide the hutB ‘ ® ut have delayed the works for huts and other conveniences would have left men out of employment. Was there anything wrong with the camps at Whonjrarsi and Hurau? Mr Williams admitted that there wae no ground for complaint there. The workers would like to have those camps taken as a standard. On the East :Coast he had found a man with a wife and children living in two tents, qne of « quoted before? It was'a Maori who had been living in the. pa. He moveo reto the tents, but the Department did not tnow he had left the pa. Mr Barker, added that the Department had been unable io get timber for eome of the camps. It had called for tenders with-

out result. . ■ Mr. Williams mentioned social minor grievances and contended Ibero was a lack of uniformity m tho interpretations of the engineers. The Minister said that tho enginee had’conferred in order to secure unif°Mr. Williams compftiined that straw had been supplied instead of fl a x tho stuffing of mattresses, and asked lor a free railway pass for the Dominion public works organiser. Mo asked for recognition of the Department s liability for tho cast of getting injured workers to hospital, i Mr Furkert said the Departments limit for firstaaid was one giUUOA. Other payments had. bcei’ mads iff ffib'vial CDSM. *

Tho Minister's Reply. Tho Minister, in reply, said that he wns glad to have the views of the deputation. He believed that the public works employees to-day were iff ft better position than ever before in New Zeoland, in spite of all the difficulties that had to be faced. (Hoar, hear.) He had sought (o place them inthat position and he would have failed if they had not reached it. He was not going ( C H av much about the general financial position. He hoped that the AelingMiniatcr of Finance would bo able- to make a statement on that subject shortlv. The- statement would show clear I J the very serious necessity for curtailment in the public expenditure. Iho money available for expenditure on public works had to be limited strictly and at the same time the Department had to meet some heavy commitments lor the purchase of plant and ma ena . had not found it necessary to make any reduction in the number of public works employees, and he had not reduced their

wages. He had taken the view that the men who were building roads and railways, developing hydro-electric power and promoting other important undertakings should not have their wages reduced as long os that could he avoided. He placed men employed on relief works on a different footing, The public works employees were engaged on works that the Government desired completed as soon as possible in the national interest. The relief works were less urgent works that had been put in hand at the present time merely in order to provide emplovment for men who could not find it elsewhere. Perhaps he was wrong, and should have required all the men to share alike by a reduction of wages al) round. One of the first moves in retrenchment in other years had been the reduction of wages on public works, th us making rtll public works into relief works. Most of the men on public works were employed under the co-opera-tive contract system, and he wanted them io do efficient work, and earn good wages. Dealing with oilier points raised by the deputation, tho Minister eaid that he wanted to provide decent accommodation for all tho men on public works. Great improvements had been, effected, but it had not yet been possible to provide huts in all cases. The question of cost did not enter into the matter largely, since the huts-in the long run would not cost much more than the tents. The improvement of the accommodation would continue. The expenditure on housing at 'Mangahao had amounted to between and 4)25.000. If he had made a mistake in assisting in ths erection of a. Y.M.C.A. hall for social purposes nt Mangahao before all I lie huts were completed, then he must take the responsibility. But he did not think that he had made a mistake in view of the importance of giving Ihe men .some means of social life and enjoyment. A. member of the deputation : You made no mistake. ■

Deferring to the interpretation of the agreement, flic 'Minister said that tho wages of men on relief works had Iffen fixed by Cabinet. He regarded these works ns quite apart from ordinary public works. They bad been established so that men who found themselves in difficulties owing '.o lack of employment might go there and earn a few shillings tn tide over the had limes. He had not yet had an opportunity of seeing for himself how tho system worked, but bo and the Minister of labour Intended Io go earefußv into the question of the earnings of men on relief works. He wa« desirous of scciirin" a reasonable working ■ nferpretntion of the agreement, and he saw no objection Io a. representative of the union meeting the inspecting engim opts nt tho various works. It had to De recognised that condi* inns wore not : h.a same everywhere. The Minister ui’-1-r--tonlr to look into all the matters that had been mentioned by the denotation, and in conclusion he «noke nnnreei.ativru ly of the assistance that ho had recci'- <1 from Mr. C'o-’k and Mr. Grnvndl"r. who had shown themselves in their deplin"’with him ho level-headed, common, snnso mon. He had not alwovs pwen-1 with them, but he hnd alwavs found that their views wore worth consideration.

Mr. Cock thanked the Minister. Ho said that tho rmhlic works had alwnvs received courtrev from Mr. Coates, and they wished, to maintain the good understanding that had existed In the peat.