WORKERS' DWELLINGS

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 305, 18 September 1920, Page 7

WORKERS' DWELLINGS

MIRAMAR CONTRACT CRITICISED

MINISTERIAL REPLY

Very critical references to a contract let.by the Labour Department for tho "erection .of- workers' dwellings at Miramar were made in tho House of.Representatives late last night by Sir. Gv Mitchell (Wellington South) and Dr. A. K. Newman (Wellington East), Sir William Hemes (Minister of Labour) made a statement .on -the subject af tor tho members named, and,one.or .two others, had voiced their, opinions, -j . ''

Sir. William Herries said'.that the Department was unfortunate, in striking- a contractor who was not up to tho job, to 6ay the least of it. When the speaker took office as.Minister of Labour ho found tho contractor ..already there. The contractor was full of complaints as to tho attitude of the Department towards him, At first blush the complaints 6eemed. plausible enough, but soon tho Department found that.he was.not carrying. out' the contract in the way he should have, done.

The Department gave the contractor notice' to terminate tho contract altogether. Then it .was alleged that tho man was badly used. Ho 6aid he was. quite competent to finish, certain of the houses, and the Department gave him an opportunity to make good on the houses he had already started. The speaker had since been informed by the Department that a certain number of .houses—he the ught it was' six, at nil events—should: be ready in about a week. Mr.-Mitchell: Those- are the other fellow's. -.'.'•''"'

Tho Minister: Yes, they aie the other fellow's.

A good contract had been let in Christchurch, tho Minister- added. _ The Department was generally up against "contractors, who would not contract," and now it was considering whether it would not employ a gang of. its own men to go right through the country erecting the houses that should be erected.