IRRIGATION WORKERS

Evening Star, Issue 19795, 20 February 1928, Page 5

IRRIGATION WORKERS

FURTHER CENTRAL COMPLAINTS SHORT PAYS ALLEGED AT ARROWTOWN MR MARKS ADMIRED BY NAVVIES. On. account of the methods it is alleged to have employed in connection with the construction of iho Central Otago irrigation races the Public Works Department has come in for a good deal of criticism during the past few weeks. Looming largo in .a fairly complete list of denunciations have been statements to the effect that the engineers’ staffs in the same districts have been unnecessarily large, with the result that “white collar” workers have been far too much in evidence. A worker (Mr T Adams), who has been more than two years laboring in. public works, came into the ‘Star l office this morning and stated that not only -was tho department squandering public money for work that was never done, but it did not hesitate to cheat its navvies for as much pay as it could when the time came for calculating the length of race excavated by the various gangs between “mcasurc-up ll days.

“ At Arrowtown there wore continual complaints because of these short pays,” said Mr Adams, “and if there was nobody in a gang who could measure up for tho workers themselves the pay sheet generally showed a deficit. On one occasion our ganger had the foresight to take a photograph of a mass of rock we had cut through, and if ho had not done this wo would have been beaten for 200yds of rock.” He added that there seemed to be a good deal of favoritism, some gangs getting far more than others for what appeared to be the same work. At Arrowtown the engineer and Iris staff put in a good deal of time at sport, and drew full pay all the time a cricket pitch was iu tho course of construction. When one of tho staff was ill he received full pay during the whole period of his indisposition.

“ All the race workers I know have nothing but the greatest admiration lor Mr Marks,” declared Mr Adams, “ and wo consider that he has been a scapegoat fur the Government's shortcomings. There i.s nothing in Mr Marks’s work which justifies his discharge, and if there are private reasons for it they appear to bo merely excuses. .There have iiecn ’ bloomers ’ made on the irrigation works; time and money have been wasted; but we workers consider that Mr Marks has been wrongly judged by his superiors and badly let down by his subordinate engineers.”

Mr Adams slated also that when his two years with the, service terminated on January 1 lie was entitled to leave on full pay. On being shifted from Arrowtmvn to Alexandra ho was told in the latter place that ho could not have it, lie referred the matter to Mr Marks in Dunedin, who made arrangements that ho should make a restart at Alexandra. When the time came he was kept lying about tho camp for four days, and ho got nothing. Tha engineer, ho said, simply flew past his camp during tho six times lie passed by within three days.