DREDGING MATTERS.

Mataura Ensign, Issue 944, 12 September 1901, Page 2

DREDGING MATTERS.

IMPORTANT MEETING AT GORE. Ah adjourned meeting of directors, dredgeowners, and shareholders was held at Gore yesterday to consider a number of matters affecting the welfare of the industry. Borne 25 gentlemen, representing dredging interests in the Waikaka, Charlton, and Waimumu fields were present, and Mr A. A. Mac Gibbon (chairman of directors of the Waimumu Central Co.) was voted to the chair.

IHE QUESTION OF UNION. The Chairman said all the dredging companies had been cited to appear before the Conciliation Board to answer a demand made by dredge hands for an increase in wages and certain holidays on full pay each year. This was a serious matter to the companies in the district, as they had come to rcubse that there was not so much gold in dredging as they at one time supposed. It was a fairly good industry, and would be all right if it were left alone. But if the men carried their point a lot of dredges would have to close down, as they were not profitable. It the dredges closed down it would be a serious thing for the whole country. A large number of hands were directly employed, and through them / larger number were indiiectly benefits/. Another subject for the meeting to consider was the propriety of joining the Dredgemen's Association recently formed in Dunedin. If the companies presented a strong united front they should be able to work their case to much greater advantage. An Association on similar lines had been formed in Gore some time ago, but it fell through. The difficulties that had to be faced now were not discernible then, but it was realised that those interested in the industry should unite. It should be shown to the men and to the Court that the industry could only do a. certain amount and no more. The most important question of all, however, was the water difficulty. On the Charlton and Waimumu streams, Supreme Court actions were pending, and the industry was suffering great hardship through it. Although the Government advertised for claims for compensation in respect of both of these streams, the Government had not seen fit to take any further steps towards proclaiming them sludge channels. Claims amounting to some £23,000 from the Waimumu and about £OOOO from the Charlton settlers had been sent in, and they had a right to demand that the Government should take the same action in regard to these as was taken in reference to the Waikaka. In the case of the Waikaka the claims amounted to some £50,000. A Commission sat, and these claims were reduced to between £4OOO and £SOOO, and were paid on that basis. Why should not the same action be taken in regard to the Charlton and Waimumu ? He (the speaker) was satisfied that the compensation for the two streams named could be reduced to as many hundreds as thousands were now claimed. He thought that for the amount of the claims one could buy all the farms along both streams and then not get much of a bargain. Having read the rules of the Dredgemen's Union, the Chairman said the Conciliation Board would meet at Roxburgh on October 10 and at Dunedin afterwards. The first thing to consider was whether they should form a local Association or join the Dunedin branch. Mr Dolamore (Waikaka Queen Co.) pointed out that it was left to the directorates of the different companies to decide if they should join the Association. The only thing the meeting could do was to recommend the different companies to join or to form a local Association.

Mr J. J. Ramsay (secretary to the Paterson's Freehold and the United Cos.) said that at a meeting of directors of his two companies the other evening it was thought best to form a separate combiuation of companies in this district. Different conditions prevailed here to those on the rivers. Companies in this district had a specially good case, and should be specially represented at the Conciliation Court.

Mr T. Green (Charlton Creek Co.) said a strong local Dredgemen's Association had been formed some twelve months ago, but was killed owing to its being altered to a Miners' Association. If they started another local Association the same thing might happen again. He thought it better to join a strong Association in Dunedin than practically a dead one here. Mr Eamsay said he did not propose that a separate Association be formed here, but merely that the district companies should unite on the labor question. Unless they kept separate, their case would be considered with that of the Molyneux, and the issues would be confused. They had a good case if it was fought separately from the others. Mr Green said that any decision the Court might come to in regard to the Molyneux would be binding here. The Chairman pointed out that the Dredgeworkers' Uni«n demanded 10s per shift for the Molyneux claims, 9s for this district, and 12s for gorge claims. Mr J. Penny (Waimumu Co.) moved : " That it be a recommendation to district companifs to join the Dunedin Association." —Seconded by Mr Green, and carried.

THE LABOR O.UESTION. Mr H. W. Parsons (manager of Perry's dredge, Waikaka) moved : •' That this meeting objects to the increase of wages asked by the Dredgeworkers' Union, on the grounds that the results of dredging on the Waikaka, Charlton and Waimumu do not warrant such increase, as is shown by the returns for capital invested." The speaker said that no one could point to a dredge in the district that warranted the increase asked for by the men. He had managed Perry's dredge for four years, and 7s per shift was the wages given when they started. Without any request from the men a rise to a shilling per hour had been given for all time worked. He never had a crevr pulling contrary to him until an agitating gentleman came down from Alexandra, and since then there had been dissatisfaction. The men were well paid now, They did not have to work a long time before they became proficient on the flats such as were in this district. Men following the plough could become competent winchmen in three weeks. The demand for eight days' holiday on full pay was unfair also. None of the dredgemasters got it. One of the companies that Mr Ramsay resented (the United) which was standing out of the Union had played into the hands of the men by paying lis per shift. His (the speaker's) men wanted to know how they could not get the same.

Mr Ramsay said he had only been secretary to the United Co. for a short time, and he was not in a position to siy that Mr Parsons' information was incorrect. But he did not think it was correct. Mr Parsons, continuing, said he did not think that any similar class to dredgeworkers were better paid. They lost very little time in the year, and the work was by no means heavy. Mr J. E. Humphries (Waimumu Queen Co.) seconded the motion. Dry Und dredge employees were very well off if they only knew it.

Mr Penny endorsed Mr Parsons' statements. An agitator had corne among the Waimumu men, who up till then were a happy family. Most of them joined the Union, but a large proportion of them, recognising that they were getting better wages than ever before, had since gone out of it. They realised that if the companies had to pay more in wages the dredges would close down. The increased wages, etc. would entail an additional expenditure of about £2OO per year to each dredge. Between the Charlton and Mataura the dredges paid away £12,000 per year in wages. If they closed down it would mean a loss to the dis"trict of £IOOO per month. He thought this a matter for the men themselves to fight against. They should write to their Union and point out that if the demand for more wages was persisted in they would lose their jobs. Many of the dredges were now only running to pay wages. Speaking for a number of companies he was interested ih, they would shut down if there was any more expense put on to them. Mr Eamsay said the motion would not influence the Conciliation Board. All they had to consider was not whether shareholders were getting anything for their investments, but how the industry compared for wages with similar labor. The line of defence for the companies to take up was to show that the wages compared very favorably. The only difficulty was the demand that preference should be given to unionists. That was what they had to fight. It was ridiculous. They might as well demand that companies should give preference for employment to a man who wore a brown coat over a roan who wore a blue coat. The Unionists wanted to fix the minimum wage at 9s. They had to give that amount to the biggest duffer employed, and cadets half pay. The only remedy, if these demands were acceded to by the Court, would be to shut down and put the men out. The Chairman said ordinary farm laborers

could take up dredge work and get 8s n day. It was very light work. Mr Penny said if they looked through the pay-sheets tbey would see that with overtime the men were making a far better average wage than 8s per day. Mr Parsons said that by giving cadets half pay they would have to pay men 4s Od to stand by and learn. He did not agree with the clause giving preference to Unionists. That would mean that they would often have to pass over a good man to employ another not worth half as much. His experience was that no good man had to join a union to get work. A man's hands were his best recommendation. The greatest agitators were the most useless men. The motion was then put and carried.

THE WATKII UUKSTION. Mr E. B. Bowler (Wainiuniu Queen Co.) moved : "That in the opinion of this meeting the reply of tho Minister of Mines to the request (by telugram by Mr J. A. Yule) for a settlement of the Charlton and Waimumu water questions is very unsatisfactory, and that the Minister be requested to take the necessary steps to investigate the claims for compensation by a sitting of the Eivers Commission at Gore at as early a date as possible." This was, the speaker said, a matter of very great importance to the district surrounding Gore. The Government had created a precedent by declaring the Waikaka, a sludge channel. The three streams were all pretty well on the same footing. When they were told by the Minister that the proclamation of the Charlton and Waimumu was blocked by the large claims put in, and when they knew how the Waikaka claims for compensation weresettled, they could only conclude that the reasons (liven by the Minister were absurd. The Waikaka ran through one of the best agricultural districts in Southland, and when tbey compared that land with the land through which the Charlton and Waimumu ran, they could only conclude that the money to be paid for compensation in respect of those streams should be very much less. They knew that the Waikaka compensation claims were compromised from between iMOOttynd £SOOO. A Commission was set up to report, and on its recommendation those amounts were arrived at, paid over, and accepted without demur. A similar course should be adopted in the case of tho Charlton and Waimumu, and by that means justice would be done to both parties.

Mr Alex. Kerr (Boyal Waimumu Co.) seconded the motion.

The Chairman said the water difficulty was the most important question of all. If it was not settled the dredges could not possibly continue to work.

At this stage the Minister's reply stating that the Government could take no action in regard to the Charlton and Waimumu unless the claims for compensation were considerably reduced, was read. Mr Penny said he had never seen such an extraordinary reply. The member for the district could not have explained the matter to the Minister fully, although he seemed to have a good grip of it when he was in the district. The Minister seemed to take it for granted that because £23,000 was claimed for compensation on the Waimumu the Government would have to pay that amount. That was a ridiculous position to take up. Mr Humphries said it was not the farmers the dredging companies had to light. Some time ago he had tried to form a river board for the Waimmu, but it was blocked by the holders of small suburban sections outside Mataura. The Mataura Borough Council had considered the sludge channel proposal, and came to the conclusion that what it wanted was a drainage scheme for the borough, and had asked for that.—(Laughter). The Chairman said if £40,000 of claims on the Waikaka were cut down to £4OOO or £SOOO it was singular that the Government would not do anything unless the Waimumu and Charlton claims (which aggregated a less amount) were considerably reduced. They should press the matter very hard, and even take the extreme step of appearing before Parliament. The motion was carried.

Mr Dolamore moved : "That the attention of the member for the district be again drawn to the unsatisfactory state of matters in connection with the streams mentioned, and that he be urged to give it his immediate attention in order to arrive at linality." It wns a pity, when Mr McNab got the Minister's reply stating the compensation claims would have to be reduced, that he did not immediately take action on his own motion, and ask the Minister to appoint a Bivers Commission to investigate the claims. It was a pity so much time had been lust on that account, because if they did not get the matter settled before Parliament rose, the dredges might be closed down before it was settled at all. They wanted some satisfaction one way or the other. If they were going to be closed down they should know at once. Mr J, A. Yule seconded. Mr McNab had been very lax in the matter all through. He had been running with the hare and hunting with the hounds, and was afraid of leaving the hare. They should take strong action to force Mr McNab to do something. If he would not do anything for them, they should try and get some other member to do so. There was more money sunk in dredging in the district than in all th« farms. The motion was carried.

Mr Green said it was no use communicating with' the Government by letter or telegram, and lie moved that two gentlemen be appointed by the meeting (to be accompanied by one appointed by the Duncdin Association) as a deputation to proceed to Wellington to interview the Minister of Mines and lay the whole matter before him, urging him to accord the same treatment to the Charlton and Waimumu streams as in the case of the Waikaka. The returns showed, Mr Green continued, that if the dredging industry here was killed it would mean the downfall of the district. If the Government gave hundreds where thousands weie claimed as compensation on the Charlton and Waimumu, those making the claims would be very well satislied. —The motion was seconded by Mr Dolamore, and carried.

The Chairman and Mr Green were appointed as the deputation, and it was suggested in the event of the Dunedin Association not sending a representative, that Mr Bowler should go also. The meeting closed with a vote of thanks to the Chairman.