BROKEN RIVER RAILWAY WORKS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 959, 28 October 1910, Page 8

BROKEN RIVER RAILWAY WORKS.

MINISTERIAL EEPLY TO ■■-. COMPLAINTS.,'

The complaints made by a Mr. Campbell, of Christchurch, with reference to the conditions of labour on the Broken River railway construction works . were again referred to in the -House of. Representatives on Wednesday. ' i. The. Hon. E; M'Kenzie (Minister for Public Works) stated.that he uad now received, the official report in connection with the matter. The first complaint was that tho weather conditions were bad/ In reply, he would state that-the place was a comparatively dry locality, and the average number, of days worked was higher. than at a majority of works under the control of the Department. As regards the. complaint that poor wages wero being earned, he would poini: out that it was true that some men had not done well! The average amount earned was, However, Bs. 2d. per day, which was a fair rate. When men could not earn the minimum rate it was .found that tho fault was their own. ;

Touching upon the complaint as to Sunday work, Mr. M'Kenzie said that it was necessary to employ a few men on Sundays to clean out tho boiler in connection with the machinery, etc. In each case tho Sunday rates Wei's paid. There was, he continued, no justification for the complaints in regard to the accommodation. It was well known that singk men sometimes preferred to share- a tent. Each single man could have a small tent for himself if he so desired. Only in one raise had discrimination been shown in the matter of orders to storekeepers, and he considered that in this instance the discrimination was justified.