CHILIAN CONTRACTS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 9302, 31 July 1908, Page 4

CHILIAN CONTRACTS.

A WARNING TO NEW ZEALANDERS. [Per Press Association.]

WELLINGTON, July 30. The Hon J. M'Gowan has handed the following letter, transmitted to him by the Governor, to the Press Association for publication. The letter is from the British Vice-Consul at Punta Arenas, Chili, and has reference to the contractual conditions under which New Zealanders go to that country as winchmen and dredgemasters : — "British Vice-Consulate, Punta Arenas, May 16, 1908. — Sir, — I have the honour to bring the following facts to- your notice. During the past years there have been contracted in New Zealand, in Dunedin chiefly, a number of young men as winchmen and dredgeniastere for gold dredges in this country. These men have been induced to sign contracts by various firms, who are, I have no doubt, respectable firms, and men once signed. in JNew Zealand have been sent out here under the impression that they were signed in a legal manner, and that their contract could be sued upon or in any other way enforcpd, as might be necessary. It is needless for me to point out, sir, that this contract, which is perfectly good in New Zealand, is not worth the paper on which it is written in Chili unless it has been legalised in this country. This has not been done in one single case, because in every case that I can trace, the lawyers who drew up the contract in Dunedin told the men they were legally engaged, and I should say, from many years' experience of New Zealand lawyers, that they did not know themselves that in other countries the methods were not the same as in New Zealand. In one o f thesp contracts it says : ' The wages shall be £4 10s per' week,' without specifying how many working hours go to the week or any other details as to overtime,' etc^ Directly the lawyers here saw the contract, they said the men must work ten hours per day for seven days a week, and the usual number of working; Hours in this country is ten hours per day. T have had a good deal of trouble to effect arrangements, because of this one mistake. 1 have ~ac c.irerent m^>n apnlving to me during the last few days who were signed on contract, and 'now their contract is broken thev Have no legal redress, and are bound to take what they can get. A 6hort time a'go T lrd from different firms three men who had been dismissed without notice, owing to bad returns of dredges. These men could not sue, as their contracts had not been, legalised, and of course the dredge-owners would not consent to legalisation when thev wanted to get out of their contract. ; I had to advis^ the men to take what 'they could cet. There are also at the present moment some sis or eight men brought out here, and they have not received any wages for more than, three months, and are at present almost destitute and writing for some recognition which has been promised them. I state these facts.fiir, in order that you may be in a position to stop these young men coming to this country for the following season, which will bes;in in about four montl'ir time. At tbe present time the whole of the Chilian lawyers are making fun of these contracts, which are continually brought up in the courts, and it is very galling for British people living here. I have, etc. — C. A. Milward, Vice-Consul. — His Excellency the Governor, Wellington. New Zealand."