“THEIR FUNERAL.”

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume I, Issue 72, 7 March 1911, Page 11

“THEIR FUNERAL.”

EXPERIMENT IN DAY LABOUR MOREE-MUNGINDI RAILWAY TROUBLE. A MINISTER’S STRAIGHT TALK. Sydney, Feb. 28. The Minister for Works (Mr.. Griffith) is in no way disturbed by the threatened strike on the Moreen Mungindi railway, where the labour system is being tried. A demand has been made upon thedepartment for an increase of pay to 15/- per day for men with horses and drays or ' horses and. scoops, and for an increase to 9/per day for pick and shovel mem The Minister has been given until. Saturday to concede these demands, and notified that unless they are conceded the men watt* cease work. Mr, Griffith has met the totnas*tion by having a wages board appointed to settle the rates of pay and working: (Conditions of the employed on railway and water--', works construction. “I am informed,” he said yesterday, *‘th*k a series of claims for increases in. the rates of wages now being paid to men .working under this department in different districts of tha State has been, filed by the RaiL way Workers and General Labourers’ Association of New. South, . Wales. This is the legal and p***- ' per method of adjusting th mm matters, and I desire that evesy B --- thing possible shall be done by theofficers of this- department to and expedite the work of th» board. No alteration in the rate*, of pay on any Of the works in progress likely to be affected by thioL board is to be made till tiha board’s award has been give**, fcfall increases (if any) granted . fap the board are to be paid ■■ the date or the filing of the claim*, by the abovernamed. union/*. The board is constituted than:— Mr. Spencer (chairman), Mr. it, CL Watkins and Mr. C. N. McCffi** (employers’ representatives), and Mr. D. A. Sullivan and Mr., GeOv C. Bodkin (employees’ representatives).

“This,” said Mr. Griffith, my answer to the demands from the Moree-Mungindi men. Theythreaten to strike. Very welL IF they do, I will drop the MoreeMungindi work, and rise the money elsewhere. The funds at the disposal of the department are ed, and there are many works which cannot be proceeded with, until money is made available, if the line to Mungindi is hung up * will permit of equally important works being proceeded with elsewhere. lam paying full union rates, and will not go a penny yond those rates unless they 1 increased by the board; nor will I deal with isolated bodies of nm. *The rates are the same as are paid by the contractors on the North Coast railway. A wage of 13/day is being paid for. horse,., -and man, and yet the man want* to stand by with his hands in hie pockets while someone else loads' the cart for him. That won’t do in this department. I am not going to sanction the payment of sman to stand smoking while someone else does his work. The officers in charge of the Construction works have full power to act in protecting the interests of the partment, and I intend to give them all necessary backing. If the men won’t work, well then it i* their funeral. I will carry onfc work elsewhere with the money ”