TAWA FLAT TUNNEL

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLVIII, Issue 45, 21 January 1928, Page 6

TAWA FLAT TUNNEL

COMMISSION OF INQUIRY. * * EVIDENCE CONCLUDED. Per Press Association. WELLINGTON, Jan. 21. The commission appointed to formulate an agreement to furnish a working basis between the contractors and employees at the Tawa, Flat tunnel concluded its hearing of the evidence yesterday and reserved its decision. During the day Mr J. Burnside stated the case for the contractors and the court decided to view the tunnel workings. , , , m _ Mr E. Page, S.M., and Messrs T. 0. Hislop and H. D. Vickerv (employers), J. Roverts and It. Semple (employees) were the commission. Mr H. OooK, secretary of the New Zealand Workers’ Union, conducted the case for the men and Mr J. Burnside appeared for himself and his partner in the contract. Addressing the commission, Mr Burnside said that when he had tendered for tho contract ho had based his estimate upon the agreement existing between tho New Zealand Workers’ Union and the Public Works Department, and between the same union and tho Sir W. G. Armstrong, Whitworth Company. He recognised that these wages were minimum rates, and being desirous of obtaining a good team of workers at the tunnel lie paid higher rates than those fixed in the schedule. From the commencement of the work he was not in favour of a strict adherence to the minimum rates. He asked for the rates embodied in the Public Works and Armstrong Whitworth .agreements. These were standard rates. The public works agreement hourly rates and the Armstrong Whitworth hourly rates were respectively as follows : —Machine men 2s lid, 2s 3d; shift bosses 2s li; 2s 3d; loco drivers 2s Id, 2s 3d; shovellers Is 104 d, 2s; outside men Is 9d, Is IOJd. . . . These rates were a minimum and lie would prefer not to employ a man who could not earn something more than this. However, as minimum rates to be embodied in an agreement lie considered that these rates were sufficiently high. Further, there was an .abundant supply of labour offering at these rates. Hundreds of men would be glad to obtain work and had applied to him sinco the stoppage. Mr Cook had made a point of the lack of accomodation at Tawa Flat but could not claim a higher rate, because of the lack of accommodation, and at the same time demand accommodation >or transport to their homes for the men. The question of transport affected only one shift and each man was on that shift only one week in three. It had been stated that the Tawa Flat tunnel was especially dangerous, but he relied upon the evidence of Mr Furkert, who stated that the Tawa Flat tunnel was not as dangerous as many other tunnels. Mr Cook asked if Mr Burnside was willing to reinstate another man named McKinley, who had not been mentioned.

Mr Burnside: I wish to wipe everything out and start afresh. “The contractors had said’ that they ha,d based their tender on the minimum rates paid by the Public Works Department,” said Mr Cook. “As an experienced man Mr Burnside must have known that it would be impossible for him to obtain skilled men at 16s per day. Throughout New Zealand men were earning well over 20s per day. It had been admitted by Mr Furkert that in many cases men earned 23s per day. Mr E. Page, S.M.: Wasn’t he talking about co-ooerative work ?

Mr Cook: That is so. The men did not know tho contract price for the work, said Mr Cook, and had a right to know. They feared that the contract price was so low that if a minimum were fixed it would be the maximum.

Mr Page announced that the members of the commission had decided to visit the tunnel at once and that their decision would be announced as soon as it was arrived at.