THE OTIRA TUNNEL

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 196, 14 May 1919, Page 7

THE OTIRA TUNNEL

'"■ "■ .". .' o '■.' —- ; .. :, ". ''■ SUGGESTIONS FOR EXPEDITING ,;..; ;•;' , THE WOBK. . v -By Teleijraph-Pross Association. ': V . Gre'ymouthi May 13. '. ■'• ■' '"'M&sjfi.'M'Cotobs , 'and "Holland, M.P. J s,leoeived a request from the Otira Tunnel /Workare' Union Exeoutive, unanimously supported by the men, that in order to complete the tunnel at the earliest moment it was advisable that at .'least 500 men should be employed. The men claim that such a number oould complete the work in a little over a year. Only 100 men wore now. employed, who would take five years to complete ihe work. There was no limit to the number who oould be To secure the e?tra men needed all that would be necessary would be to increase the wiagea of the men inside the tunnel on account of the extraordinary cost of the oilskin clothing indispensable for such work, which cost was borne by the men, and amounted to ;£1 2e. CS. "Weekly. -It- was impossible to get married men to work there till proper residences were provided. Families of six and eight 'were at present living in three rooms. A medical man was needed .• on the'work. • ' •■ ■' ■ ' ■< : Messrs. M'Oombs arfd Holland say, in a statement to the Press, that if the work of the tunnel was expedited by increasing the number , of' men to five hundred the management and overhead charges would' sot increase, proportionately, and the saving thus effected, plus four years' interest on. the'money already sunk, would probably meet the increased wage cost five or even ten times over, and would therefore be the cheapest'proposition in the end. ■:..-.•...