THE CONTRACT SYSTEM.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 15821, 21 July 1913, Page 2

THE CONTRACT SYSTEM.

« ATTEMPT TO DISCREDIT IT.

STATEMENT BY MR ERASER. iFnou Our Own Corrrsponiient.) WELLINGTON, July 13. The wages.paid under the co-operative system and the recently-instituted modification in the direction of small contracts were the subject of an interesting statement in the House of Representatives this afternoon. In the course of his reply the Hon. W. Eraser (Minister of Public Works) alleged that there had, been a deliberate attempt on the part of Labour leaders to discredit the contract system at Bealey Flat. The first reference to co-operative wages was made by Ah' Dickie, who read a letter from the Lake Coleridge workers to this effect: "It is being reported in the press that all men on co-operative works are being paid not less than 15s per day. Now, on the Lake Coleridge public works there are no co-operative men who get that. On July 2, for the June month, one gang of five men were paid 5s 6d per day, and they had to work up to their knees in water and clay pug; and yet the bosses can have a motor car to go about in. In reply, the Hon. W. Fraser said he had heard nothing about this, but would make inquiries. THE BEALEY FLAT CASE. Following upon this question Mr Seddon inquired if the Minister had any details yet in connection with the allegations made that men on the Bealey Flat Works could make only 7s 6d per day on the co-opera-tive works.

The Hon. W. Fraser: "Yes, I can tell you about that." In February last there was started at Bealey Flat the contract system, and the men were paid so much per foot in the tunnel. The result was that according to the schedule that was followed for the first five pays the men earned Is Bjfd per day more than the wages they had been receiving before. For the June pay, however, working in exactly the same class of ground and under the same circumstances, and on the same basis of pay, the> men earned 4s per day less. Hon. members might wonder why that occurred. According to the reports of his officers there was no doubt that the officers of the union at Bealey Fiat disliked and had publicly expressed their dislike of the contract system. A number of the men were then taken off the contract work and put on at 10s for day labour. They then asked to have their 10s per day increased Ho 10s 6d, but the engineer had . very properly declined to accede to this demand. The men had not tried to work. It was a deliberate attempt to discredit the small-contract system, although a certain number of the men were anxious to go on, and knew they could do well under that system. The work of the men at Bealey Flat was being watched, and a carfeul estimate was being made of the value of the work they were giving for their wages. If it came to less than they could have earned in the first five months, • very probably thesa men would hear about- it. He was going on with this tunnel, but he was not going on \vith_ it under conditions inimical to the dominion as a whole. If any set of men thought that they were going to bring pressure on him to make him pay higher wages they would find they were mistaken. DETAILS WANTED. Mr Seddon asked whether the Minister would submit to the House any details from his department in support of his statement that the men at Bealey Flat had made a deliberate attempt to do away with the small-contract system. Mr Fraser: I did not say the men. I said the leaders of the union. Mr Seddon again asked whether particulars would be supplied to the House. Mr Fraser: Of course not, What information did the hon. gentleman want? He (the Minister) had told him that these men were in a position to earn iip to 14s a day, and were not satisfied with it. Taking the whole time, from February to the end of June, the rate of pay had averaged only id less than 10s 6d a day. An effort had been made to show-that the average of 7s per day under contract applied to the whole period, but this applied only to the last month. Bealey Flat was not the only place where obstructions had been made in tho way of carrying out tho small-contract system. He : was not going to be deterged by it. A certain number of men in the country had asked for it,, and_ he did not see why they should not get it. If a man was willing to work hard and earn a good day's wage he was going to give Mm a chance.

Mr Soddon, later, gave notice to move: "That there be laid on the table of the House all the correspondence and evidence upon which the engineer of the Public Works Department based his report that a deliberate attempt is being made by the leaders of the union at Bealey Flat to destroy the small-contract system."