DREDGEMASTERS IN CHILI.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13816, 31 July 1908, Page 6

DREDGEMASTERS IN CHIL I.

NEW ZEALANDERS WARNED. " _ | [by telegraph.—press ASSOCIATION.] ■ "• Wellington, Thursday. The Hon. J. McGowan has received th» following letter transmitted to him by tha J, Governor. The letter is from the British j Vice-Consul at Puhta Arenas, Chili, and ' has reference to the contractual conditions under which New Zealanders go to that country as iviachmen and dredgemasters : 1 British Vice-Consulate, Punta Arenas* j May 16, 1908. _ Sir,—l have the- honour to bring the following facts to your notice: — j During the past few years there have been contracted in New Zealand, in Dunedin cflSefly, a number of young; men as winchmen and dredgemasters for gold dredges ii» i v this country. These men have been induced to sign contracts by various a firms. ",J who are, I have no doubt, respectable, ant* the men once signed, on in' Nov. Zealand;: ; ;i have been sent out here under the impression that they had done so in a legal manner, and that their contract couid be sued ; ;! upon, or in any other -way enforced, a$ -: might-be-necessary. It is needless for mo " to point' out, sir, that> this contract, . iis perfectly good in New Zealand, * .'is nobworth the paper written, on in Chili, unless it; has been legalised in this country. This has not been don© in one single case, be- • cause in every case that I can trace lawyers, ;' who drew up the contract: in Dunediu, told • the. men they were legally engaged, and I should say, from many years' experience of \ New Zealand lawyers, that they 3 didf no? know themselves that in other countries tha j; methods were not the ; same as in New Zea- • land. In on© of these contracts it says ■;' "this wages shall be £4 10s per; week," without specifying how many working hours go to the week, or any other details as to over- ■ time, etc. Directly the lawyers ' here saw the contract, they said the men must work 10 bourn per day for,seven days a week, : ! and the usual number of working hours in*' this country is 10 hours per day. I have had tt, good deal of ; troubleto effect the ar- ~ rangement of this one mistake, and have , had different men applying to mo during th«» ~; j ' last few days, who were signed on contract, .is and now their contract is broken they have no ; :legal redress, and are bound to take \; what they can get. ' A ; short time ago £' had for a different fins* three men, who hac3 ', been : dismissed without- notice, I; owing to bad returns of dredges. These men could; '. not sue,- an their■ contracts had not teen ■<. legalised, and, of course, the dredgeowners _ ■. would■ not consent to legalisation when they" , wanted to get rid of their contract men-"■.., I had to | advise their taking what they could get. There are also at the present; moment some six or eight men brought out here, and they have not received any wages for more,than three months, and are almost) ' *ji destitute, and waiting for some recognition i which has-been promised them. :.:. J. state these facts, sir, in order that ycm. may be .j? in a position to stop these young men com-; 'j; ing to this country for the following season, -, whioh will begin in about four months' time. ||jj At the present time the whole of the ■■■>[ Chilian lawyers are making fun'of these ! contracts, whioh are continually brought tipin ''■ the Courts, ; and it is very galling fori British people living here. have, etc.„ . (Signed), C. A. Milwabd, Vice-Consul. ill