CAMPANILE SITE

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 70, 24 March 1931, Page 10

CAMPANILE SITE

EXCAVATION DISPUTE

— \ BEQUEST TO MINISTER

The dispute in connection with certain excavating work on tho Campanile site was referred to the Minister of Labour (the Hon. S. G; Smith) last evening, by a deputation of Labour members of Parliament and trade union officials. It was asserted that the Unemployment Board had been misled into giving-a subsidy for excavation work under the No. 5 scheme, and that this part of tho work should have'been carried out at award rates because it did not conio under the scope of relief work, but under an ordinary contract. The Minister said that he would look into the matter with a viow to making an amicable; settlement. ■ . - president of the Wellington ■ Trades' and' La!bour Council (Mr. F. Corn well) said that after the contract for the work had been let to GrahaV and Sons, Christchurch, a request had been made for a subsidy under the No. 5 scheme through an. arrangement with the City Council. Under this scheme 14s per day per man was paid'for a certain number of days in the week, according to tho number of his .deporid- : ants. The work had proceeded under this method until Friday last, when tho men, realising that they were, working on a contract job which had been partly taken over by the council, ceased work. They considered that they were being exploited and that a private contract job was being dono under a relict work' scheme. When a number of married men' had refused work on tho job at the Labour, Bureau yesterday they had been told that they would not be, given further work for a fortnight, and they, srongly resented being penalised and victimised because they had refused to "scab" on their fellow-unemployed. JThc job was a private contract, and.it jwas wrong that it should have been, at the instigation of the Mayor, placed ■within tho scopo of thq No. 5 scheme. The secretary of the General Labour- ■ ers' .Union- (Mr. P. M. Butler) said that .the N0...5 scheme was meant," to apply to work done by local; bodies only! He had been told, that the specifications had been altered in order that'a subsidy might be obtained, and, ) i£ this had been done the other ten- ' Borers should have been notified. , The toard had been misled. •-' .; ■, ' i ,;. NO , BLAME ON BOARD. ' The. Minister said "that the . board could not bo blamed, as it did not. know anything about tho\ matter. When the. board had been, informed of the position it had insisted that 14s Sd per man should be paid. As far as,the.Campanile job was concerned, the trustees had -applied to tho : Unemployment ■Board for a subsidy, but this had been turned down' on the ground that it •would involve the subsidy of Government moneys. The Mfiyor of Wellington had then said that work for a largo immb'cr of men could be found, on the Campanile' site but. that tho .trustees , ihad not considered doing anything with ' %i' for four or five • years. . The; board then agreed to subsidise the work of making terraces; but was unaware that some of Hie men. had been placed on excavation work in connection with the foundations. The sole:-reason for the ■board's action had been a desire to - iplace a large number 6i men immediately." ': AVsqoii "as it -was learnt'that men were being placed 'on excavation !\vork,. the -hoard declared that award .jwoges would have to be paid or else the fcrrringements.would be cancelled. , Mr."'lt; M'Keen, M.P.,;/said that the, Jneiiibers of the council did not know tthat the uien;,were being/placed on,exIcavation work.. Mr. Butler said that they were, not Warning'the^board, but were asking for ats assistance. - ■ '■■Mivß.'Scmplc; M.P.: "It is...a bit of trickery.-" ' ■ '•' '''•■' '.' "<'.''. Mr. P. Fraser, M.P., said thjit he had Been the job, and no stretch of the' imagination could place it under one of. the board's schomes. - It was evident that someone had,bungled. : Mr. temple: "Trickery, not bunging-". '■ :■ .', ■ '.: ■ v.': ,' ■ V ■'.-"■•'' .OBJECTION TO POLICE; Mr. Fraser said , that whatever it. was the award conditions "should have come into operation.- Policemen had been stationed at every point.1 .-; In fact, there .were; enough .policemen on the Bite to ao the joby and as member for [Wellington Central he, objected .to policemen herding .the men; He also - protested against the sanitary, arrangements. -He hoped that the situation -,^-ould be adjusted. . . '--V.. - , . Mr. Smith said that there was only iono more week's work left on the j6b. .Mr. M'Keen. suggested that the men bo given permanent wdrk: for one week. Mr. A. Parlarie asked .the Minister±o look into the position of tho men •who had refused work and who had teen told that they would.get no more ; (work' for a fortnight/. ~.■■■■• , '•'' ; .'The Minister prpiniSed that he would look into the whole position immediately and see what could be done.