THE PENGARROW QUARRY.

NZ Truth, Issue 94, 6 April 1907, Page 5

THE PENGARROW QUARRY.

MORE TROUBLE AT THE

CAMP.

A Cingalese Cook Taken On.

Curries Favor with the Bosses and

Rules the Roost.

As stated m these columns a month or so ago, Contractor J. J. K. Powell ought to keep on shak--ing hands with himself on the fact that he so easily rid himself of the responsibility of supplying "good" stone from the Pencarrow Headl quarry for use on the duplicate Wel-lington-Petone Government railway line. It was due to the exposure of the sap-headed G overnment stone expert made by ' 'Truth that some insight was gained into the matters and methods of alleged Govennment experts m condemning stone as tad, Which other independent experts passed as sound, apd no matter which opinion is right the fsuct remains that the Government used, and continue to use, stone won from the quarries m Powell's time, and which was condemned as worthless. Things seem to be just as unsatisfactory as ever over at Pencarrow,' and it is the Governtnent ganger Mclntesr, known, as "the man with the little hammer," who is causing all i the trouble. Everybody under and even over him, are striking trouble— MeInteea*, though only a subordinate, seems to be COCK-O'-THE WALK, and ere long something serious will happtn at the oamp unless he is promptly and efficiently suppressed. That things were made damned unpleasant for Powell is pretty certain, m view of what is allowed now. Powell was debarred from tai: ing, out stone of a size that is i-dng taken out whelcsale at present. Jilost of the stone, and there has been fully fifty loads of it, condemned by the expert v/hen Powell was contractor, has since been, and ■is still being, supplied to the Government. There is no doubt ab,Out the worthlesisjiess of some of this stone, because the pully ropes by which it was slung, cut through it as if it were cheese, The present contractor, Fletcher, too, seems to be "having a rocky time of it, and is hampered and humbugged just as much" as Powell was. In ordcir to utilise Powell's stone, with which the scows have been filled, up to a recent date, the order has gone forth to the gangers to go slow. This, of course, has led to much confusion, and, the result is that the stone Avon under Fletcher's contract, good and sound as it is, will have to lie and wait till such time as Powell's 9tone is used up. Some of that stone is rotten, and God a-ionc knows what -the engineers mean by allowing such muck to bo used on such a line. Time alone will show the result of all this BUNGIvING AND BLUNDERING. From the very start the Government alleged experts have unjustifiably interfered and given valueless opinions, which m face of subsequent events show at least that the Government' has no' faith m its experts, and seems determined to let things go on m their own sweet way. " _ ' ■'•'".'' There is another matter upon which nothing has hitherto been said, and that is m reference' to the Chingalese cook at this camp, who is employed by a white New Zealand Government. He receives £2 10s per week, and is boss over a white man, an Irishman named Martin O'Brien, who ranks as second cook. Not only is he boss over Martin O'Brien ; but the saffroncolored cook from Ceylon bosses the whole camp. In vulgar parlance he has got the camp "gallied," and no wonder, because it is alleged he rushed at one man armed with a long knife. Now the real boss of the show, Inspector Lee has taken the cook Under his wing, ahd has given it forth that nothing must be said against the cook, and that if there are any complaints they are to be made to Lee. Reports have been made through various gangers, but it is doubtful if ever they reached Lee's ears. The colored cook still reigns supreme, and; the Mnd of oonduot he pursues can be gathered from the following. The other Saturday evening two young fellows came m late for tea and were greeted witli "What the Hell are you doing here." The young fellows replied that it was not too late for tea, and for their trouble were told that THEY WERE B — - THINGS. This brought from one of the young ohaps an aspersion on the black b rudder's legitimacy of birth, , whereupon the cook promised to report him. Report him he did, and on the following Monday morning the young chap was dismissed. This self-same cook has a very nasty habit of calling the workers .-.foul names, and when he did attack a man named McLean with a knife, McLean very promptly knocked him down and fired him out through the galley door, and needless to remarkthere was no reporting done on that occasion. Various reasons are assigned for this nigger's impudence and bloodthirsty behavior. He seems tected" by Lee, while Mdnteer, by shielding him, gets the best of anything on the hoard. Mdnteer has a lot of fowls which require feeding daily, and the little Cingalee sees to it that Mclntaer's "chooks" don't suffer tfie gnawing pangs of hunger. Things badly want shaking up at Pencarrow, and the best thing the Minister who is over the concern can do is to make a obange m the bosses. It is a bit rotten that "the little man with the hammer" should have his fowls fed and cared for by a Cingalese cook, and who, because he is the fowl-feeder and the boss' pet, does what he Hikes, and says what ho likes, to the workmen employed at Pencarrow.