THE CONTRACT SYSTEM.

Otago Witness, Issue 3097, 23 July 1913, Page 57

THE CONTRACT SYSTEM.

ATTEMPT TO DISCREDIT IT. STATEMENT BY MR FRASER. ITrois Ouk Own Corukbpomdent.) WELLINGTON, July 18. The wages paid under the co-operative system and the recently-instituted modification m 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 Lire Hon. W. Fraser (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 Mr 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 Colepidge..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 fid per day, a'nd 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. Full wing upon this question Mr Seddon inquired it the Minister had any details yet in connection with the allegations mado that men on the Bealey Flat Works could make only 7s fid per day on the co-opera-tive works. The Hon. W. Fraser: “Yes, 1 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 Bjd 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 Flat 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 to 10s fid., hut 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 careful estimate was being" made of the value of the work they were giving for their wages. If it cam a to less than they could have earned in the first five months, very probably thesi men would hear about it. He was going on with this tunnel, but lie was not going on with 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 Fiat had made a deliberate attempt to do away with the small-contract system. Mr Fraser: 1 did not say the men. 1 said the leaders of the union. Mr Seddon again asked whether particulars would he supplied to t lie House. Mr Fraser : Of course not. What information did the bun. gentleman want? Ho (the Minister) had told him that these men were in a position to earn up to 14? 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 J>d less than 10,s fid 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 lo the last month. Bealey Flat was not the only place where obstructions had been made in the way of carrying out the small-contract system. He was not going to be deterred 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 him a chance. Mr Seddon, later, gave notice to move: ‘‘That there be laid on the table of tha 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 lo destroy the small-contract system.”