MAIN TRUNK MUDDLE.

NZ Truth, Issue 87, 16 February 1907, Page 5

MAIN TRUNK MUDDLE.

SHAMEFUL TREATMENT OF A WHITE WORKER. Was Arson Committed? Departmental Enquiry Imperative.

Whenever the Main Trunk "Line' is completed— and many, of the presents generation may be grey-haired when it is, Hall- Jones notwithstanding^ the record of muddle and bungle which has characterised this costly undertaking will be stupendous. Not a week rolls by without 'something fresh and startling anent it comes to light and the public certainly seem to be entitled to a lot of explanations, but '"truth" is afraid,' to quote "The Virginian, " that it is not worth while betting on any such expectation. Lately, however, there hag been something of an official investigation into -recent doings at Turangarere ; the said doings being of a criminal nature ; but so far there is rid solution of what seems to be a series of mysteries. Up at Turangarere last month the dwelling-house, together with the furniture of a man named Sutherland, went up m smoke. Suspicion has pointed its bony finger at a lot of people, but the crime of arson ■ cannot be traced to anybody. ; Ira*; -;tbe \ surrounding: and incidental circumstances do not redound to'lC credit of those having anything to do with the Turangarere section. , • ■ A DETECTIVE WAS SENT from Wellington to investigate' the matter, but he found out no more than anyone else m the district; was willing to tell him, and the result is that, a man loses a house, and furnrfcUre and apparently has no redress, and perhaps stands m the position of being a suspected arsonist;, for which . there is absolutely no j ground whatever. Moreover, the whole affair is interesting m the light that the man Sutherland seems to have been marked and subjected to the petty whims .of an official jackanapes ; and m addition to that Go-; vernment officials have been found playing a new role, viz., that of evictors. , . , ' .. . •' It is a rather long story, and, * even if a detective failed to throw" any light on the it is certainly necessary that there should be SOME DEPARTMENTAL EN- . QUIRY . , into the manner m which an engineer named Fuirkert manages his section. Sutherland, it seems, was employed on the section' as head shopman. He had charge of all repairs, shoeing, biacksmithing and carpenters' work. Sutherland had built a honfe o"h railway property atod had furnished it and insured his property for nearly £200. He .erected his home on the railway reserve !by Furkert's ■ permission and m view of subsequent events this is interesting. Ifrom some causes or other Sutherland was ordered to quit his dwelling, and the Government officials securely locked the place up and denied Sutherland admission. About January 28 or ,24 the house and its contents were burned. Who set the place on fire, or whether it was a pure accident, nobody appears able to- say ; but, at anvrate. within 24 hours of the conflagration Government officials, including engineer Furkert, were on the premises and they do not' deny it. SUTHERLAND HA.S LOST ALL. He is practically .penniless and he is unable, so far, to receive any:- insurance money. The fire is now , piit down as a -mystery .and it • sounds very strange that after all the trouble Government officials went to m order, to evict Sutherland, his home. should so suddenly be destroyed. : v This engineer Furkert seems to be a tinpot Czar m his way. and certainly he is no" friend of the" worker, as he raised Cain over the men taking: Saturday afternoon off. He reckoned, that the Government were losing £500 a week and the. ukase accordingly went forth tl&t the. Saturday half-holiday would have to cease* Agajn his economic soul was stirred, to its depths at the" awful disbovety that the Department were paying for the feeding of three horses used on the job. and; he, stopped that. This is most unfair as the Department has no horses of i* 8 own on the section. Moreover, Fiirkert has a. friend on the -job, who has a horse, but the mandate that the Department would not feed the horses did not affect him, aftd/ as the friend's horse ,is often utilised tp convey a "lydy," o'er the desolate • scene; lots of -things may 1 thus be' accounted for. The worker's- lbt r ' 6a nearly every section of the Main Trunk Line is wretched ; but at Turangarere .-'they are treated worse than dogs. The attitude of; Furkert and others ', m bursting open Sutherland's premises is something which cannot be tolerated. /When .Sutherland was tqjd to nuit., he sent his. wife and children to Wellington while he prepared another home for them at Ohakune. Not only ware ... ■ \ SUTHERLAND'S PREMISES BURGLED •• but the place was so securely locked that Sutherland himself was unable, to gain admittance. Forced away, from his property, a fire • mysteriously; breaks .out and now he has no redress whatever. If that is not a matter for a Departmental enquiry, it is hard to say what is. T.hese evictions are by no means uncommon on the nart of the Railway Department. A couple of years ago a similar affair occurred at Omakau (Otago .Central) and the victim m that cases was a Chinaman, and it is interesting to observe the different kind of treatment meted out t 0 WHITE AND YELLOW. The Chow was a coibk to the resident engineer, and he. was presented with a section, although he was m a horrible state," suffering from some. foul disease. He was evicted, but such a rumpus occurred that t'"^ Railway Department backed down ml the Chow was left to his r.rmvri-'. Sutherland, however, is a while ?.m! respectable man, and tto.t perlwns is the reason why no opp is m:il<ir.r a fuss over him "An^i™v. "Trnih'' pives the matter publicity, nnil it. looks to t-hp Government (o » r :vo, Suiherlnnd the uisticp Hint, is his rim*. If a Chinaman 'siirfrr>n«- 'fr>m a lonesome disease is more voHhr nf consideration than.-a tiirri iho W'OUt for the wViitn is vnrr ro«- j^rori.