THE MATAURA RAILWAY CONTRACTORS AND THEIR WORKMEN.
A deputation, consisting of the Mayor, S. P. Andrews, H. Thompson, and Litton, who had come purposely from Dunedin, waited on the Minister tor Publi; Works, the Honourable li. .Richardson, yesterday, respecting tho case of a number of men who had beeu working for M‘Nam or a, a contractor on the Clinton and Matama line, and who had failed, owing his wo; kmeu a large sum of money. The Mayor explained the object of the deputation, and said die men did not insist on this as being a legal cl,.im on the Government, but they w.mld leave it to Government io decide ua a tn.iUcr ol equity. The iio- enable K Richardson stated that this question had coice before him in a variety of ways. It was one on which he had taken, as ho was bound to do, a legal opinion, having several times consulted the Solicitor-
General and the Assistant Crown Law Offioar. I’orh’.ps every particular had not been laid before tlie advisers ot the Government, and t*e should therefore lik- to hear what Mr !,ii tou had to say in the matter. Mr Litton explained that he liad been elected to represent Ihe woikn.cn in this matter. Mr Litton „ vnlained that he had been elected to represent the workmen ir. [his matter. They had reived no pay since August la-i, , an< f the families of the workmen on the line were fa gtw distress, and their distress was, of cotnse, beconi.’r* gi eater day by day. Fifty or sixty men had been working for about six weeks and got no money for tbeir labor. The Hon. E. RichardfOn stated that the course taken by the Government was the only one open to them under the law, but if it could be shown that anything had been said by the Government Engineer which could have led the men to suppose that Government would see them jnid, it would be his duty to inquire into it and deal fairly towards the men. Ho mi ?ht state that a sum of 1,400 odd had been sent down to the men to be divided rateably. Mr Litton said that would go aveiy small way, ps most of it would be consumed la Court expenses, and they had also agreed with the solicitor to give him 10 per cent, on the amount ) ecovered from tho Government, The deputation thanked Mr Richardson and withdrew.
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Evening Star, Issue 3997, 16 December 1875, Page 2
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408THE MATAURA RAILWAY CONTRACTORS AND THEIR WORKMEN. Evening Star, Issue 3997, 16 December 1875, Page 2
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