TIMBER WORKERS.

Grey River Argus, 25 July 1922, Page 8

TIMBER WORKERS.

CABINET WAITED ON. DEPUTATION ON IMPORTANT SUBJECTS. MINISTERS SYMPATHETIC. WELLINGTON, July 24. A representative deputation from the Timber Workers’ Conference, recently held in Wellington, waited upon the Prime Minister, the lion. G. J. Anderson (Minister of Mines and Labour), and the lion. J. G. Coates (Minister of Public Works), last week, to lay before them the remits passed at the conference. The deputation was introduced by Mr J. Read (Wellington). Mr T. O’Byrno (Southland) asked for an amendment of the Bankruptcy Act, providing that the. wages due to workers should rank first for payment, instead of coming fourth or fifth, after the people who liquidate the estate, the mortgagee, the man with the rent, and the salaried man. A FATAL ACCIDENT. He complained that the Bush Tramways Act of some two years ago had never been enforced and inspectors had not been appointed under it, nor regulations gazetted, with the result that a number of men had been killed. He laid the blame at the door of the Government, and particularly of the Minister for Public Works, who had promised on two occasions that the Act would be enforced. Mr Coates: How many men had been killed since the district engineers of the Publie Works Department had been appointed inspectors? Mr O’Byrno: Ono in Southland and another near Palmerston North. A member T the deputation: The Palmerston r 5 case was before they were appo:Mr Coates; .now that these tram-

ways had been inspected. That is all. Mr O’Byrne said that the man in Southland had been killed through a locomotive falling through a bridge in May last, He waited on the «' •< triet engineer, who told him that h ■ did not know that there was such an Act an the Statute Book, and that he had had no advice nor instructions from the Minister in regard to it. He (Mr 0 'B i ft . called the M i attention in May, 1921, and on later occasions to the fact that no inspector had been appointed for Southland; and Mr Coates had wired back tlc.l the matter would receive consideration. He contended that a number of tramways were so badly constructed that they were dangerous to life. An army of inspectors would not be needed. Probably one for the North Island and one for the South Island would be sufficient. “TYING UP BUSH AREAS.” Mr F. Turley (Westland) complained that ho had not been able to get the inspection carried out, notwithstanding a lot of correspondence between his union and the department. He co plained also that in order to get a bush area sawmillers had to pay down , £4OOO in hard cash to the Forestry Department to buy the timber in advance, and small men were thus barred from going in and work ing the bush. There should be, he urged, an arrangement for them to get timber from forest areas on a royalty basis. Large millers on the Coast were being allowed to tie up large areas. The present system was allow ing the timber industry to get into the hands of a small number of poop like the Lake Brunner people, the Te Kinga people, Butler Bros., and the Stewart and Chapman Co. Some of them had as much as 5000 or 6000 acres tied up. Mr Massey: Is it not a fact that a large number of sawmills have been established on the Coast in tho last few years? Mr Turley: Yes; but still more would have been established but for the land being tied up. More or less, he declared, the Kauri Timber Company was gradually extending its sawmills to grip the whole of the timber on the West Coast. Under a proper system there would be no difficulty in timber being produced at a nr cost with the same wages as to Exploitation by the U.S.S. Co. ■ of the things that made the price of timber so high. Their freight on timber from Greymouth to other New Zealand ports was the same as to Australia; and railway freight had also been increased. Mr Massey: The freights were in creased for the purposes of paying the bonus to the railway men Mr Turley said that he could not agree with him in that view. Mr Massey repeated the statement, adding, ‘‘The arrangement was made at this table.” Mr Turley: We can agree to differ on that. Mr Massey: You can hold your own opinion, but the fact remains. SICKNESS INSURANCE. Mr Turley added that they desired a sickness insurance scheme, for timber workers on the same lines as that for the miners, for which a royalty of id a ton was levied on coal. This royalty went into a sickness scheme controlled by the Government, and the miners had also an accident insurance scheme of their own subsidised by the Government out of the -Ad a ton. On the West Coast the union had already

established a sickness scheme embracing 600 or SOO men, paying in 12/6 per half-year; and they suggested that tlie Government should ti;is session place a royalty of Id per 100 on timber and extend the same benefits to the mon in the timber industry as to the miners. It would moan only 12/6 to 15/- in till on a five or six-roomed house; and the employers had practically agreed to the Id per 100. MACHINERY ACT. AI)MINI RTRATION DE FE CTI VE. The administration of the Machinery Act, he added, had been a source of annoyance for a large number of years; it was simply liouted by various inspectors. Mr Anderson: Will you gi'-o me the names of one or two? Mr Turley said that frequent complaints had been made of one man lie named, but they had got no satisfaction. Tn the last three months serious accidents had occurred at Bari Hari, at the State sawmill, and at Inchbonnie; but the inquiry into them, conducted by a magistrate, the machinery inspector, “who was really the accused.’’ and one of the largest sawmillers, was, he declared, a farce. Mr Anderson said that Mr Turley seemed to have a grievance .against one inspector. Who were tho “various inspectors?” Mr Turley promised to give the names, but asked for an assurance that the information would not be used for a libel suit against him. Mr Massey: If you libel any of the inspectors, you must take the consequences. (Laughter.) Mr Turley also stressed the need for brakes on all bush locomotives, especially in hilly country; and that machinery inspectors should be shifted round once every five, years. A SERIOUS CHARGE. He charged that an inspector, nine years ago, had condemned a boiler, end afterwards bought it cheaply himself and sold it at a big profit; and had done the same thing in the samo district only two years ago. Ho had bought the second boiler for £4O, and sold it for £240. He asked that all reports of inspec-

tors in respect to accommodation, etc., should be given to tho organisers of the districts concerned. Air Jones urged tho need for circular heads on buzz machines, ami Mr Coates said the matter would be attended to. M r Phelan asked for legislation to make it compulsory that all employers of labour should insure their workers. Amendment of the schedule of the Act was also required. At present a man losing a joint of his big toe, a very important matter, was entitled only to the same compensation as for a loss of a joint of his little finger. The union asked that it be made 25 per cent., and that the limit for the doctor’s bill be raised from £1 to £2O. Mr Topp urged the desirability of legislation preventing boys under 16 working in bush mills; and that baths and drying-rooms for timber workers should be prescribed by the Act the same as for miners and shearers. Mr Stewart asked for legislation requiring sawmill owners to provide reasonable house accommodation for married men. Mr Hunter advocated tho abolition of the provision for taking a ballot of a union after the union had passed a resolution creating a dispute under the Arbitration Act; also an amendment of the system for nominating and electing the workers’ representatives on the Arbitration Court. MINISTERS IN REPLY. FATAL ACCIDENT MUCH REGRETTED. The Hon. J. G. Coates replied that he could only say that instructions were given to the Public Works Department that on application from the representative of the Workers’ Union, any tramway bridge was to bo inspected. He did not know what hac| gone wrong, and would have to inquire what had

really gone wrong. It would seem that Homo instructions had miscarried. It was unnecessary to have regulations, as the Act was quite, clear. He entirely agreed that the inspection of tramways was necessary, especially in cases when they were combing out. bushes and using tramways that were some years old. -He had some practical experience of bush work, and had assisted to get the Act on the Statute Book. If it was not working satisfactorily, some alteration would have to be made. He regretted very much that a man had lost his life for want of inspection. He knew that further instructions had iecently been issued. The trouble might have arisen through the officers moving about the country as they had to do. He was not trying to find excuses, and woulcLJuive the matter thoroughly inquired into. He would get the file up, and inquire into what had happened to the mail referred to by Mr O Byrne. If the present organisation was not satisfactory, he would make an organisation tint would be satisfactory. Mr O'Byrne: Thank you, sir. A MACHINERY INSPECTION. The Hou. G. J. Anderson stated, in reply, that the machinery inspector referred to by Mr Turley had been transferred to another district. He quite agreed that it was wise tn shift the in specters about. In regard to the three accidents that had occurred, the findings were satisfactory so far as ne was advised. He had read the evi dence, and it seemed to him that the findings were just. One of the instructions he gave as soon as he was ap pointed to office was that the inspection of machinery was to be thorough-

ly made and care taken for human life. The inspectors in tho mining and other departments had all got this instruction, and if anyone had neglected his duty u tho matter and it came to his (the Minister’s) attention, ho would deal with it very severely. As to accommodation for married men, he would make inquiries; but he thought it was a twoedged. sword, because if ilio employers were compelled to put up houses for married men, they would be inclined to employ only single mon. With regard to the nomination of workers’ representatives on the Arbitration Court, that was obviously a matter that required amendment. In regard to taking the ballot, that was a more serious matter; and he would have to go into

it very carefully, because it was not easy to get a full meeting of a. union. In all the years that ho was a member of a union, he only knew of one full meeting. PREMIER’S REPLY. The Primo Minister said that there only remained to him tho suggestions with regard to the legislation that might come before the House during the present session. No doubt there would be legislation in regard to one or two of the matter raised. The objection Io boys under 16 working in sawmills cut both ways. He did nor know many workmen able to keep their boys idle up to the age of 16. A member of the deputation: Pay th (‘in better wages. Mr Massoy: And I have known boys under 16 get into serious trouble because they were not better employed. The insurance of workmen was an important point. He had not gone into it carefully; but he would ask the Minister of Labour to deal with that and report to Cabinet; and it was just possible, if there ‘were no difficulties in the way, to get the levy of Id per 100 on timber for sick benefit, etc., dealt with this session. He was not quite sure of what was happening in regard to the Forestry

Department. It was a new depart meat, and might not, have, got into | working order at the time that the arrangements complained of were made. Lie would ask for a report as to what had taken place and theVnethods adopt ed in regard to disposing of timber areas. Timber was not now so easily saleable as formerly. The increase in the number of sawmills in the past three years would startle people. Mr Turley: It has doubled on the Coast in three years. Mr Massey thought it had more than doubled. They all knew the importance of the industry, and the Government did not want to place difficulties in the way of men who were willing and able to start another sawmill. On the contrary, he wanted to make it as easy as possible for men to start in business. Mr W. E. Parry, M.P.: Would you this session consider amending the Compensation Act, basing full compensation for death and disablement on the important principle of death and disablement, instead of wages. Mr Anderson: We arc consolidating that Act this year, but not making any amendments. Mr Massey: The consolidating Bill will be before the House shortly, ami von will have the opportunity of moving amendments. Jto had been very glad, he added to hear that their grievances were not more serious. He did not say that some of them were not serious. It was a serious thing when a man was killed, but they had the promise of the Minister of Pubilc Works that the matter would be thoroughly looked into.