TROUBLE AT OTIRA TUNNEL

Evening Post, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 119, 21 May 1914, Page 8

TROUBLE AT OTIRA TUNNEL

OBJECTION TO SMALL CONTRACT SYSTEM. STATEMENT BY THE MINISTER. On page 3 of this issue is published the versioiwof the Workers' Union secretary of certain trouble at the Bealey end of the Otira tunnel. In it charges are made against the Public Works Department. The Minister of Public Works (the Hon. W. Fraser) made tho following statement on tho subject to a Post roporter to-day: "In consequence of the dissatisfaction expressed by the engineers both as to the progress and cost of the work it was decided to have the work done on the small contract system. When the men were informed of this a week or ten days ago some of them demurred. After consultation with the engineer the rates of pay and details of working were modified and agreed to. Then some of the men declined to go to work under the small contract} system ; twenty-three agreed, but twenty-seven refused., Mr. Armstrong then' wired to me that the union protested against the small contract system, urging that the wages system was the better for the men and the Department- and the safety of the tunnel. I replied that in consequence of the unsatisfactory progress of the work and the cost the small contract system must be instituted. I said that equality of payment without any regard to the quality of service did not commend itself to me as being either in the interests of tho ♦Dominion as a whole or of the workers themselves; and that the safety of the tunnel would be as carefully attended to as in the past. I am informed that on Sunday last tho men agreed to go to work under tho small contract system, but that on Monday they declined to sign the contract. In the -meantime, I am having further enquiries made."