DAY LABOUR ON GOVERNMENT WORKS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7923, 30 January 1904, Page 2

DAY LABOUR ON GOVERNMENT WORKS.

By Henry Deane, M.A., M.1.C.E., Ett-gineer-in-Chief of the Railway Construotionr Branch of the Public Works Department oi New South Wales. • . (A paper read before tbe Australian Association for the Advancement of Sdencej Dunedin, January, 1904.) "' • • : ''-_ ■ Mr Deane pointed out that the idea of carrying out public works without the inter-' vention of the middleman or contractor took practical shape ten or twelve years ago," andf that the various Australian States and New Zealand bad now adopted it. At one tim« there was very great hesitation as to tht adoption of such a system, because it wa. thought that the Government officials bad not been properly trained to: do the work; and therefore could not get anything ahore out of the men than the so-called Government stroke. A few particulars were given of the conditions which were necessary for the successful carrying out of works, by day labour. These were, that the right sort of men should be engaged to supervise and take charge — competent men of experience-*- j that the men under them shouhj also be ■ carefully selected, and that the engineer-in- - charge should have a free hand in the engaging and retention pf men under him. The advantages of doing without the contractor were stated to be the saving of expense in the matter 'of staff, tbe saving of the cost of providing working capital and a high rate of interest to which the contractor waa liable. Then there was the contractor's profit. There was also the advantage that the Government bad in being able to make alterations, modifications, and deviations of works without being liable, as in the case of a big contract, to excessive claims for compensation. Another merit was that the Government got all the best advantage out of the ability and practical knowledge of the staff. If the Goyern<ment staff were able to introduce.improvements in manipulation, and so on, tbe country got the benefit, whereas under the old system that went to the contractor. Another great advantage in the day labour system was that whert only some of the plans were ready and preliminaries arranged work could be started ; whereas if the work was to be done by contract everything must be ready in order that the complete conditions might be entered in the bond. The disadvantages weie the-possioility of undue political pressure being exercised, and what ,was called "red tape." Mr Deane pointed out that political pressure was not an essential part of the system. Good workmen { were better without it, because they would always get work under the best conditions ; but the political pressure was executed in favour of the idle and incompetent men,, who thus competed with the competent and industrious men. The good workman should protest against the .exercising of influence, for he was the loser in the long run . by ib. There did not seem to be any^ objection to. the minimum wage principle, which entered alike into the day labour amd contract systems. In some cases excessive ■ political influence had been exercised very much to the disadvantage of the country and the bringing of the labour question unnecessarily into disrepute. In a Government department there were necessarily more checks and formalities than would be the case witb . a private employer, but Mr Deane advocated that these should be simplified as much as possible. Dealing with the saving to be effected by day labour, be said that Mr Kernot, Acting Engineer-in-Obief of the . Victorian Railways, had found thab there was a reduction in the cost of earthworks of 37 per cent, and his (Mr IDeane's) experience had been similar in New South Wales. Concrete work showed a> reduction . of 10s to 15s per cubic yfird. Work requiring high mechanical ability,, such .a* steel bridges, had been executed much more economically under day labour than woiUd have been the case by contract. What he had said with regard to Government works applied equaUv to work carried put by local bodies, and resolved itself generally into this : that it pays' to carry out works with? out the aid of a contractor^ provided •uitable men are forthcoming to take charge. that they have fair and proper control in the employing and managing of the men; and that tbe simplest and least harassing methods of ordering materials and keeping accounts be adopted ; undue political imfluence in all cases being avoided?