ROUGH ON THE WORKERS.

NZ Truth, Issue 174, 17 October 1908, Page 5

ROUGH ON THE WORKERS.

A Misleading Tender. A Word of Admonition to Bethune and Co. „ The following advertisement appeared m the "Evening Post of October 3 :— GORSE CUTTING. Wanted, tenders for above.- Apply, , il. H. Bethune and Co., Featherstonstreet. A number of men used to the gorsecutting business applied to Bethune and Co. for particulars of the contract, and the following specifications were given them :— v ' ■'-„,' < . SPECIFICATIONS RE GORSE CUTTING AT CROFTON. , To clear and burn gorse, broom, sweet briar, and other noxious weeds, to fulfil the requirements of the Agriculturaf Department, on the following sections on the plan of Trelissick Kstate, Crofton :. Sections 38, 40, 41, 42, , 43, half of 44, 45, block D. Sections 24, 25, 26, 27 and 28, block B.

The amount of work to be done In connection with the above sections to be clear to boundaries (half chain) also half chain m from roadside and stream.

The whole to' be cut within three inches of the ground and burnt. Any gorse cut on sections 27 and 28 to be removed clear of any bush before being burnt.' ,

Time for above work not, to exceed four weeks, and tie work to be done to the satisfaction of Messrs J. H. Bethune and Co., agents for ifae, owner.

Successful tenderer to insure, at his, own expense, all workmen employed by him on the property against accident during the progress of the work. Tenders close at i p.m. on Tuesday, 13th October, 1908.

It will be noticed that tenders closed at i p.m. on Tuesday, October 13, but when a number of working" men made the journey to Crofton on Monday, the 12th of October, to get some idea of the nature of the; country^ and tine time the said clearing would take, they found that the work was already, m hand. On enquiry they found that the contract' 'had already been let, and' that they had wasted a day and. paid train fare to Crofton for nothing. Now, as they were given to understand from Bethune and Co.'s type-written circular that tenders did not close, until 4 pirn. on Tuesday, they were naturally a bit indignant at 'finding that the' contract had bean let before that date, and that they had had their journey and expense for nothing-'oniy to be fooled, m fact. "Whatever Bethune and Go. were thinking about to state one time for tenders to close and accept a 'tender before that time this' paper cannot understand, but it is evident that there was either gross carelessness or scandalous favoritism. Anyhow, whatever the cause, favoritism, carelessness, or otherwise, it was mighty ' rough on the men— not too well endowed with this, world's goods— that .they should have, to lose a day, or the best part of it, which is the same as a day to them, and pay their expenses to Crofton, only to find that they had been fooled and were. going' upon a quest they had> no eartStiy chance of finding. Perhaps it never struck Bethune and Co. i<iiat they were putting a hardship upon these -men ; it may have been mere thoughtlessness, but the thoughtlessness that robs a poor man of a day's pay besides putting him to unnecessary expense should be adjudged a crime and the perpetrator be taught to have more care m future.