MUNITIONS MANUFACTURE

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLIX, Issue XLIX, 13 January 1916, Page 3

MUNITIONS MANUFACTURE

XI.W .M)i'Ul M til-".MI

A ranic-iani nubli.-hed on Monday Mated that, (he New South Willi's sch-me

tlii- manufacture of minr.l ion.-;. _in the i.'i:l\v.-i\ wdi'kslinjis woiikl pioha'niy •>•• all nuloiied -wing to the refusal of tinmen t<> work the necessary overtime foi less than time and a half. Mr .'I. Harper. Chief l'• :iun:~-i>»ntr -!' New Sor.:h Wal.-; Railways, who is at pr-'Sent in Wellington. ga\e .-i "Post" jepoitor Miini- information as to the | roposal. The. workshops. In.- said, had thirty lath, s available for the work, and shonid In- able to tuni out I'l'om 1000 t, ISCO shells a week, hut they wore faced with a i:\hnur difl'icultv . At' present th.Y w. IV shc.it of about* 400 .-kiiud men [',»■ the ordinary work of the shops. >Kiiied mechanics- w.-re not alh.wcil to enlist, and some, had had to he brought hack from tin- cam)). Yet. sullici'.-m ir.cn > mild no. he obtained, if men h.ul h. en available a .-i-i-nid shift would have hectt" put on. for the manufacture of munitions; hut. as it was. ail hands were required f r the usual railway work, which had to be ,(, ~,, -]•]„» uiiiy way in which shells cmild he produceVl w:ts hy the working of overtime. Instead of eight hours a day the men would -work ten or twelve. Hundv men might ha\e done some of t lie work'ont he lathes, hut this the union w aid not allow. Apart from \ l:e demand f'.r time and a half for overtime, the management had t'> consider the ef'f-ct mi the Wui'kcis of <-ont in r.ous overtime employment. Their efficiency wa.s hound to he lessened, in the New .South Wales climate a. man could not w, rk well for ten hours or twelve hours a dav. and tli.it <uu: iuuously. in the en--ineer'ng shop.-. Mr Harper <lld not know what- his colleague, who had charge of the shops, would do in regard to the demand for « xtra pay. hut it was certain that lengthened hours w.-ald me.:n decreased efficiency on the part of the men. and munitions (•■mid not he manufactured in the ordinary working dav.