H.—24.

695

C. HUTTON. |

62. This is a letter I received yesterday: " Dear Mr. Jennings,—l am sorry to trouble you again, but I cannot get anything to do. I have tramped to various places, and they have told me there was nothing to do; but still they can put some strangers on at roadwork. If I cannot get something soon I must starve. I have been to many, and have offered to work for food for my wife and children. Will you do something for me in the name of God, as I have a dying child and others starving. Please endeavour to get me some roadwork." The man that this letter is from was working, I believe, in one of the sawmills that have been shut down. That letter bears out what you say? —1 quite believe it. I have seen a good many cases, not quite so bad as that, but in the same line. When first-class benchmen, who a few months ago got £18 a month, come round and ask for a job at Bs. or 95., it shows there is something radically wrong somewhere. 63. The slackness in the timber industry and the cessation of the North Island public works have made the distress greater, have they not? —Yes. 64. Formerly men would have had a chance of earning money on the co-operative works?- —Yes, either on the railway, on the roads or bridges, or something else; but it does not seem as if there is much now to take up the surplus men. 65. Mr. Barber asked you whether the public should bear the increased cost of timber. I want to put another aspect of the matter to you : Would it not be better for the public to have the men employed and their families provided for than to have them come on the Charitable Aid Board, or leave the Dominion, as some are now doing?— Far better, I think. 66. Do you know whether the men have made application to the Government recently to get work in supplying sleepers?—l could not say. 67. What wages does the man get who follows the log when it is being hauled? —That is the ropeman. I am paying mine 11s. 68. I suppose that is about the most trying and the hardest work a man could undertake? — Absolutely. All last winter I never went home dry once. If my back was dry my feet were not. 69. Do you think that, if land were provided for settlement purposes, some of these men would take it up I —Yes. 70. They are suitable men for clearing bush?—A great number of them are, and, I should say, would make good settlers too. I for one would take it if I could get it. 71. Mr. Leylarid.] How many men do you represent? How many mill hands work in and around your district, approximately?—l should say there would be close on a couple of hundred men, when the mills were in full working. Ido not know about the number now. 72. We had before us in Auckland the secretary of the Timber-workers' Union, representing between two and three thousand workers, without the bushmen. Referring to the desirability of decreasing the duty on long lengths and heavy sizes of Oregon lie said, " By allowing the Oregon to come in, our workmen derive a certain amount of benefit from cutting the timber up, and it will inflict no hardship on any person. It will encourage the Americans to send forward timber in larger flitches. As a matter of fact, some of this Oregon coming in like this was the means of keeping some of our men employed during last year, when logs were scarce. I remember that the Leyland-O'Brien Company, for instance, are recutting this timber." While we are very sorry for the workers, and should be only too pleased to alleviate the distress, you will realise the difficulty we are placed in when the timber-workers' representative gives evidence like that, will you not?— Yes. All I wish to say is that Ido not think he is right. 73. Mr. Clarke.] Unfortunate as the distress may be that exists in your district, have you not observed that an equal amount of distress is to be met with in the cities in lines of industry that are in no way connected with the timber trade? Is not that a fact?—No; Ido not think the people in the towns are put to the same inconvenience as we are up country by the depression. I think we feel it more than any. 74. Do you think, then, that the statements of the workers' union, which were published in the Wellington papers two days ago, are not based on fact—their statement that real distress does exist there in quite a number of employments?—l did not know that it did. 75. It must be apparent, must it not, that this want of work is a general tiling at the present time throughout the Wellington District and many other places?— There is a vast difference between-a man out of work up the country and a man out of work in Wellington. One has to pay only about half as much to live as the other. Therefore I think his trouble would not be so great as that of the man in the backblocks. 76. You said that you were a contractor: how long have you been employing men?— About nine months. Prior to that I was a wages-man. 77. And your mate. I think you said, was also a contractor? — Yes, he was until his mill was shut down. 78. Then, in reality, the meeting that you have told us about was convened for the employers and not the workers, is that so?— No. The wages-men took part in it just as much as the contractors. 79. They would not respond to your call, you being a contractor?— They are paying our fare to Wellington, anyhow. 80. Mr. Morris.] I suppose you do not walk round with a white collar and white shirt?— Well, I am paying a man lls. to take my place while I am here. 81. Consequently you are as much a working-man as any man in your service? —I work longer hours than any other man there. 82. Although the depression does not affect you just at present, you do not know how soon it may?—l may be looking for work myself any day. 83. I presume you have not got a very big bank balance?—l have not. 84. Our Government are sending a large sum of money out of this country every year for the purchase of Australian sleepers, and it is a question whether it would not pay them better to