THE LABOUR ASPECT.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVII, Issue 17705, 4 February 1918, Page 4

THE LABOUR ASPECT.

We are not sure that those citizens who are taking an awakened interest in the Ot.ira tunnel have yet attacked the subject with sufficient vigour. It) is all very well to express appreciation of .the magnitude of the work and to thank the Government for what is has done and is doing. Tire-disposition to make excuses on the ground of shortage of labour is understandable, too, in war time. But it is quite easy to he too lenient with the Governnient. Wo are by no means satisfied that the Public Works Department is prosecuting the operations at Otira as vigorously as it could and should. More labour could probably be obtained if it was sought with a little enterprise, for the working conditions at Otira are not at all bad, while the pay is good. We are inclined to repeat the suggestion that there may he publio works of much less importance from which men could bo transferred to Otira. The Abstract of Statistics shows, for instance, that in November last the Public Works Department was employing 1799 men on railway and road construction. They w.ete divided between the two islands in the following proportions:— Per cent of total.

There were engaged on the WhangareiNorth Auckland lino 201 men, on tho East Coast line 199, on the Otira tunnel 161. There were nearly as many employees working north of Auckland as there were in the whole of this island. Now, we believe that the Midland Railway is one of tho most important in New Zealand, and it is certainly tho longest delayed. Canterbury and Westland people ought to protest against tho bulk of tho available labour being placed upon new* works of minor consequence, to the detriment of a. national railway whose completion is long overdue—a railway, too, that is urgently required to remove a large part of the Dominion from a state of isolation, to effect great economies in its trade and that of its neighbours, and to materially stimulate its production. Our view is that the Midland Railway lias done more than its share of waiting, and that consequently labour should ho either obtained -elsewhere or else transferred from new and minor works which may justly be asked to take their turn at waiting. No question about money need retard the prosecution of this national work, as the Public Works Department is well supplied with ways and means. It would pay New Zealand handsomely to employ every available man at Otira, because every week cut off the period of construction will save over £IOOO in interest alone, to say nothing of the great fillip that will bo given to industries now heavily handicapped. The West Coast is a great timber district, and possesses land eminently suitable for grazing and dairying. Tho coal question in itself ought to be sufficient to establish the claims of this line. Tho price of coal in this part of the Dominion will he substantially reduced as soon as carriage by rail is possible, while a very large saving will be effected in the quality by minimising tho number of handlings. Far too largo a percentage of screened coal, is reduced to slack through being shifted about over and over again on its circuitous route from tho mines to Christchurch and tho South generally, and the annual loss, the national waste, from this cause must represent a big sum of money. The arguments in favour of speedy completion of tho Midland Railway arc, in fact, a 3 numerous as they are unanswerable. Last week's visit by representative commercial men of Canterbury and the West Coast might very well be followed up by a deputation to tho Government urging a quicker policy. The members of Parliament throughout the South Island ought to assist in this matter. If necessary, public meetings should be held with tho object of bringing pressure to bear. But the very least the districts immediately concerned have a right to expect, without agitations at all, is that the labour now employed by tho Public Works Department shall be distributed according to the importance of the works in hand. We want neither parochialism nor favouritism, and certainly not a division of expenditure on geographical lines; but wo seriously protest against a great work like tho Midland Railway being starved of labour while the North Island has three men employed for every one employed in this island. Canterbury and

West Coast people require to be more aggressive.

On Ruilway9— North Island . 792 74.5 South Island . 271 25.5 On Road& — 75.G North Island , 555 South Island . 181 24.4