OTIRA TUNNEL WORKS.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume II, Issue 206, 14 August 1912, Page 5

OTIRA TUNNEL WORKS.

THE 1.AP.0l R PROBLEM. : CONTRAt TORS IN DUTIFUL TIES. ! PETITION FOR RELEASE. [PER PHEAS ASSOCIATION.] Wellington. Aug. 13. Mes'.rs. Murdoch McLean and Neil McLean, carrying o:i bu-.im'ss mid'i tlie style it firm of "John McLean ami Sons.' c< nt raeloi and John McLc:.:i and Sons, Limited, to-day petitioned Parliament ii’gaiding the Olira timml contr.nt. Tncy .-.late ; that in August, 1907. they accepted the coniract to do the work for ihe sum of L 599.7-1-1. Finding their capi la 1 would be (tint;- inadequate to carry '>n the i-ontrac’s a company v;:; formetl, and £ ‘.O.'iiui additional cajiital was raised by tlie issue of 45,000 preferential shares of £1 each. Ihe prlit’cners. Murdoch and N’eii McLean, receiving for tlie capital invested by them in the contracts, £85.000 deferred shares of £1 each. The whole of the- capital has now been exhausted in the carrying on of the wor.ks. and the .-hareholdvrs refuse to find further capital for the wo 1 !;. The petition go<-s o.i lo icier to the difficult ; e> in comiection with th?'labour imeessaiy for the wo'ks. Despite the fact that they have paid considerably higher Kvagcs > n lite contract than those fixed by the mining awards in tlie Dominion they have been unable to obtain a suffiei ency of labour to properly man the works of tin- contract. They also state that they have been unable i.i obtain from th'' labour employed the ;csult that their long exper’eme a.' rent ra'-lor*. satisfies tbem ‘■’lotil'i have been achieved. The petitioners liaxe expended to da'e. in eonw tion with the works of the contract. C:i9,s' ; l in excess of all moneys received from the Government on t very account v. iiaisoever. and now petition to be relieved of the con-tinr-t and ask tl ? Government to cake over the works thereof and the machinery and plant used and employed therein on fair and equitable terms.