TAWA FLAT DISPUTE.

Otago Witness, Issue 3854, 24 January 1928, Page 59

TAWA FLAT DISPUTE.

WELLINGTON, January 20. The commission appointed to formulate an agreement to furnish a working basis between the contractors and the employees at the Tawa Flat tunnel concluded its hearing of evidence to-day and :reserved its decision.. During the day Mr J. Burnside stated the case for the x contractors and the court decided to view the tunnel workings. Mr E. Pa„e S.M Messrs T. O, Hislop, and H. D. = Vickery (employers), and J. Roberts and R- Semple (employees) were the commission. Mr H Cook (secretary of th e New Zealand Workers’ Union) conducted the case for the men,-and Mr J. Burnside appeared for himself and bis partner in the contract.

Addressing the commission, Mr Burnside said that when he tendered for the contract he based his estimate upon the agreement existing between the New Zealand Woikers’ Union and the Public Works Department, and between the same union and the Armstrong, Whitworth. Company. He recognised that these wages were the minimum rates, and being desirous of obtaining a good team of workers at the tunnel he paid higher rates than those fixed in the schedule. From the commencement of the'work he was not in favour of a strict adherence to the minimum rates. He asked for the rates embodied in the Public Works and Armstrong, Whitworth 'agreements. These were standard rates. The Public Works’ agieement hourly rates and the Armstrong, Whitworth hourly rates were respectively as follows Machine men, 2a lid and 2s 3d ; shift bosses, 2s and 2s 3d : locomotive drivers, 2s Id and 2a 3d ; shovellers, Is 10£d and 2s ; outside men, Is 9d and Is lOi-d. These rates were the minimum, and he would prefer not to employ a man who could not earn something more than this. However, as minimum rates to be embodied in an agreement, he considered that these rates were sufficiently high. Further, there was an abundant supply of labour offering at these rates. Hundreds of men would be glad to obtain work, and had applied to him since the stoppage. Mr Cook had made a point of the lack of accommodation at Tawa Flat, but he could not have it both ways. He coui<i not claim a higher rate because of the lack of accommodation and at the same time demand accommodation or transport to their homes for the men. The question of transport affected only one shift, and each man w r as on that shift only one ?, ’ n t, ( lree - It had been stated that the Tawa Flat tunnel was especially dangerous, but he relied upon the evidence of Mr Furkert, who stated that the Tawa Mat tunnel was not as dangerous as many other tunnels.

Mr Cook asked if Mr Burnside was to reinstate another man named M Kinley, who had not been mentioned Mr Burnside: I wish to wipe eveiyl thing out and start afresh.

The contractors had said that they had based their tender on the minimum rates paid by the Public Works Department, said Mr Cook. As an experienced man, Mr Bumside must have known that it would be impossible for him to obtain skilled men at 16s per day. It had been, admitted by Mr Furkert that in many cases men earned 23s per day. Mr E. Page, S.M.: Was he not talking about co-operative work? Mr Cook : That is so. The men did not know the contract price for the work, and had a right to know. They feared that the contract price was so low that if a minimum were fixed it would bo the maximum.

Mr Page announced that the members of the commission had decided to visit the tunnel at once and that their decision would be announced as soon as it arrived at.