COMPLAINTS ANSWERED.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 529, 9 June 1909, Page 8

COMPLAINTS ANSWERED.

GRIEVANCES OF A PUBLIC WORKS • OVERSEER, i STATEMENT BY MR'. H. J. K. BLOW. A letter which appeared. reoently in Tim Dominion, over tho signature of "Jon. A. wmpsou," contained grave complaints-as to the ..treatment alleged to have beou received from tho Public \vorks ..Department bv ■ a certain supervisor of works..' ;

Mr. H. J. H. Blow, tho Departmental UnderSecretary ,■ wlien.the letter was placed before lum,' said that the officer-referred to ■ was engaged as overseer to supervise some build-, iug work at Blenheim, and was subsequently transferred' to act in a similar .capacity on the railway construction works; Tho Department had no house available at tho time, but offered to fit up a. room, in tho Public Works store or provide tents for the man and . his wife (they. had no family).' ;It was proposed ■to erect a.'wttage for .tho use .'of the overseer, but by tho timo the cottage was finished an engineer had been appointed to take charge, and tho cottage was placed at' his disposal. The wago of £3 10s. a week xvas tho Standard wage for.an overseer, and.if it jvas not satisfactory to the officer referred to ho should not. have accopted it. So much for tho complaints of no accommodation at SSeddon. A further statement: wis mado that tho overseer ani being sent to Napier, on w>oa fcnday'of last yoar, was allowed-no-thing for expenses after thai- date. . The fact was that four - days' expenses woro allowed. It had been stated that receiving his notioe of dismissal, tho poor fellow was compolled to ; filo his schedule os bankrupt, to saro himself from imprisonment for a debt of £3. Against this, Mr. Blow stated that tho olhcor was given a month's notico, paid his salaiy up to date, and given a month's leave of absence on full-pay. Ho ■ therefore had more than enough to liquidate adobt of £3 Tho statement that no travelling expenses 'vuiv ' OWC r'T; II3 absolutely incorrect, lhore was very little expenditure on travelling, and it was refunded, .so ..far as the S"u In r °S ard the steto. ment that the .overseer was "left stranded "t I{ ns j' m .B s > 1, 1 ' le '"d boon engaged i-Lw 01 li, e,m lr •ow Kwl so far "s he Mvow, tho officer in question did not wish to return to Blenheim. He Was'given a free railway pass, to' Wellington, where he wished to go.