GAS STOKERS REPLY TO CITS COUNCIL.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LIV, Issue LIV, 16 June 1920, Page 6

GAS STOKERS REPLY TO CITS COUNCIL.

(To the Editor, i Sir,—ln the report of the City Council meeting which appeared in your issue of lust Saturday, some oi the (statements made by GTs. Harley and Surreli were, in the opinion of the gas stokers, not correct. Dealing with Cr. Harley « remarks ,re joining the Wellington Union, we could not do so. and work in Nelson. It takes lo men to form a union, and we arc only six strong, so it would bo impossible to form a union for the Council to fight. As for being overpaid. are only receiving the average wage for the Dominion for gas stoking, and «s for using the drainage boilers as a big stick over the heads of the Council, it is not true. We asked the Council to relieve us of the boilers, and then a committee of the Council waited on us, and asked us if we could • not see our way to continue the filing of the boilers ; if not, they would' required to put four men off the street to make up the amount required to put three certificated men on to attend .the drainage boilers and engines. Thp stokers considered it was not a jit time for- men to be put off the streets, and agreed to fire the boilers for 12 months, thus saving the Council £6OO or £7OO a year. Cr. Surreli stated that the wages paid to the gas stokers were unreasonable, and if the stokers were worth 17s 6d a shift, the labourers oQ the street were worth 255. in our opinion, all-Cr. Surreli could see in his mind at the time lie made the statement was one of the gas stokers who refused to give him more pressure for his gas engine at the picture theatre when fie rang up the. gasworks the night before the Council meeting. The stokers have; their wules and regulations to go by, and do not take theii orders from the man on the street. Cr. Surreli has also made the statement to men on the street that the stokers got a rise in wages at the expense of other Council employees, which is not true. The duties of stokers are as follows Drawing and .charging retorts ; clinkering and cleaning out furnace fires; cleaning hydraulic mains; cleaning and'burning out blocked pipes in retort house ; two 16 h.p. boilers; two air compressor ■engines for sewerage purposes; gas exhauster engine: street lamps to light and put out; different pressures to attend to; and various other work. One,stoker on each shift requires to hold an enginedriver's certificate, so the work is not unskilled, as stated by Cr. Harley. We leave it to the ratepayers to judge whether the stokers are overpaid or not. We hereby give Crs. Harley and Surreli a hearty invitation to do one week’s work at the gasworks at 17 s 6d per shift, and i? they can complete a week at stokers’ duties we will donate £lO to the Hospital or other charitable institution : and then they can convey to the Council and ratepayers whether the work is worth 17s 6d per shift, or not. If they fail to complete a week, they will likewise donate £lO to the Hospital or other charitable institution, We are’ etc., tor STOKERS.