WATER SUPPLY OF THE CITY

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 301, 14 September 1920, Page 6

WATER SUPPLY OF THE CITY

ORONGORONGO TUNNEL

WHAT THE CO-OPERATIVE PARTY IS

BOUND TO DO

"We have no desire to exploit the ratepayers; all wo want is to secure a living wage and to demonstrate i\ big principle." So said Mr. Hubert Semple to a Dominion representative last evening. He was speaking tor the co-operativo j party of miners who, under his load, ] lwve begun work on the Orongoroiigo ] tunnel, which is an ■iimportant item on , the list of works to be submitted for the , ratepayers' approval to-morrow. Mr- , Semple remarked that this work had | been- 60 much criticised and ao many < wild things had been said about the , arrangement between the City Council j and his party that it appeared desirable to put the men's poimt of view Wore the public. . "In estimating the cost of a drive of any dimensions, the first thing to be considered is the. nature of the rock through which the tunnel is to Das*, he explained. "The rock in the Orongorongo Valley through which this tunnel ip tn go i : s hard blue metal. The indications are that the work will be wet, which will shorten the working day to six hours. On account of the tunnel being two miles in length, ventilation will be a difficult problem. The men working in. tlio tunnel will carry their own insurance risk,, and iilio risk for this class of work is among the highest on record. The men will linvp to find their own blacksmiths and 'strikers, and will be compelled to keep tlieir rock-boring machines in repair. Thcv wiill also have to truck their own mullock from the face, keep the tip in order, drive rind si-nl>le tlic-T own horses. "The men who undertake this work will b'o compelled to live in an isolated place, practically segregated from society. This adds to the high cost of living to such an extent tliaii bachjng, wlAli k the roughest standard of living, costs 30s. per week. Then the , rough nature of the country and its distance from hospi'Sal make it verv, difficult to deal with cases of serious accident, which have to be conve.ycd to hospital at considerable cost. "The party undertakes to guarantee the City Council and the community against strike or go-slow policv, and in proof of this are prenared to forfeit £500 to the City Council if work ceases for one single dav during the three years which is our ostima'lsd t me for piercing the hill, ilf such stoppage is the fault of tho nartv. We also impose a fidelity bond of £500 on the party collectively, finch mnmW of' tim nartv forfeits Ins share of the bond if he lenvos iilie job without producing a doctor's certificate testifying to his ill-health.-or unless ha can prove to the pa.rtv that he is compiled to lrtave for bona fide reasons. Never before i<n the history of this country—or anv other that we know of— have a partv of working-men voluntarily bound tihemselves to such a lalwrious "To compare the price of driving the Orongorongo tunnel "through hard blue metal witn, say, a similar drive in the Otira rock, which is a black slate easily bared and free shooting, is positively absurd. • This could also be said of the average country in ilhe gold-mining districts. A contract' to uut through a short drive of several chains, or sometimes feet, which is the general rule m all mines, cannot be compared with an undertaking of two miles. It must be understood that,the gold-miner who contracts does not carry his own insurance risk, pay his own blacksmith and striker, keep his own machines in repair, truck hit) own mullock from the faM. 11l many eases ho is Daid for timbering and the companies always pay men to dry and look at'iier tho miners' clothes.. It must be also understood that the night shift, which is the terror of the miners, is almost abolished in all mines, and where it is worked extra ifc paid for it. "All these exilrns are included by the | Orongorongo co-operative party in its I price. All we wairbis fair remuneration for the services to be rendered-remunera-t:on that will attract to tho job the l>est class of skilled miners, who, it must bo understood, are very scarce in New Zealand. We prohibit gambling or liquor on tho job. Our proposal is an honest attempt: to solve the industrial problem, and it is for the public to say whether thev will adopt a new and up-to-dato method of carrying out an essential work —a policy that will breed harmony and good-will between the men who render service on the one hand and the community who require service on the other hand—or whether they will perpetuate the system of cut-throat competition which has proved disastrous from tho public point of vibv and has imposed hardship and cruelty on the men compelled to engage in such work.' .Mr. Semple remarked that some of the criilicism bv anonymous writers had been of a distinctly personal character, with special reference to his (Mr. Semple's) politics. He regretted that where a great social service was concerned these anonymous correspondents could not leave personal feeling out/ of it.