THE TROUBLE AT BEALEY.

Press, Volume L, Issue 14974, 22 May 1914, Page 3

THE TROUBLE AT BEALEY.

EXPLANATION BY THE MINISTER. (miss ASSOCIATION txlegramA WELLINGTON, May 21. Tho Minister of Public Works (Hon. W. Eraser) informed a "Post" reporter to-day regarding the Otira tunnel trouble that owing to dissatisfaction expressed by the engineers, both as to tho rate of progress and the cost, it was decided to have work done on the pmall contract system. When the. men were informed of this a week or ten days ago some demurred. After consultation with the engineers tho rates of pay and details of the working wero modified and ngrced to. Then some of the men declined to go to work under the • small contract system. Twenty-three of thorn agreed, but 27 refused.

Mr Armstrong then telegraphed to tho Minister urging that the wages system was better, both for the men and the Department, and for tho safety of the tunnel. The Minister replied that the contract system must be instituted, ns tho equality of payment without any regard to tho quality of service had not commended itself to him as being either in the interest of the Dominion as a whole or of the workers themselves, and that, the safety of the tunne] would be as carefully attended to as in tin* past. The Minister said Jie was informed that on Sunday last the men agreed to go back to work under the small contract system, but on Monday they declined to -sign tho contract. In the meantime further enquiries were being made.