Mr. Semple And Raetihi Workers

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 234, 1 July 1939, Page 13

Mr. Semple And Raetihi Workers

■Sir, —I was surprised to note the reply of Mr. Semple to a letter published in “The Dominion” last week from the president of the Raetihi section of the New Zealand Workers’ Union concerning the work available for men in this district. He is evidently not conversant to any great degree with the posi-. tion.

The men employed on public works in the district have during the last five years been travelling to work usually in cars and have to do between 50 and 150 miles a week to get to their jobs. Can these jobs, by any stretch of the imagination, be termed “back-door jobs”? They have had, of course, to find their own transport, been allowed eightpence a day travelling allowance, which amount, needless to, say, seldom covered their expenses. Besides which they have had to walk up to five miles daily to the job. Mr. Semple’s statement that “only” 20 single men were idle sounds prettytough when he knows that they have been idle five weeks and they get no sustenance either; perhaps be thinks they can live on air. Neither do the men think that the engineers can find work in a day. On the .contrary, some proposed jobs have had the preliminary work, such as surveying, drafting, etc., done upward of two years ago. At least three months ago the department knew that the present work would finish ahead of schedule, and they seem to have done nothing whatever to finalize preparations for the new jobs. The proposed work is quite as suitable, and profitable as any other work undertaken, even of recent years. The capabilities of the men seems to be troubling Mr. Semple too. Well, I suppose men are much the same wherever one goes, and the men here would be just a cross-section of workers and just as capable as men elsewhere. In conclusion, it was not only the chamber of commerce but many organizations, including the workers, who protested about the attitude of the department. The letter to which Mr. Semple referred was written by and on behalf of the Workers only.—l am, etc., FAR NIENTE. Raetihi, June 28.