RAILWAY WORKS

Hokitika Guardian, 14 January 1931, Page 6

RAILWAY WORKS

1 ‘ ■' TIP STOPPAGE A T’ NELSON. (By Telegraph—Per Press Association.) KELSON, January 13. All ol' the local bodies and organisations were strongly represented at the Progress League meeting to-day to further consider the Midland Line stoppage. The Chairman, Mr A. Gould, contended that there was nothing to be gained by going out of the way, and in sending a deputation to Wellington is anything but a temperate manner. The Government was up against it but the League considered that the Midland Line should be gone on with if any railway work was to be done. Nelson Was given to understand that a Royal Commission was to be set up to make enquiries, but Nelson had not been given an opportunity to give evidence; nor had they seen the result of the evidence in the report by the Commission. The Resident Engineer had informed him that no .material was being moved from the Midland works to-day. Most of the men are being put off, and lie thought that was the most important thing to be considered at the moment. It had been 1 said that the men would rather continue on the work- atVa' reduced wage than be put off and face starvation. The Secretary mentioned, that Hon. Mr Atmore was doing his : utmost for the cause in Wellington. Mr Black, M.P., said he considered •.that the position of the men should be considered before the general position, was discussed. He. explained that the workers were told to go, ; oft'. v fpi; the Christmas holidays, and on returning they had been told to go off work altogether. The position was desperate, as most of the men could not remove. Help should be sent them on the spot. One shopkeeper had £BOO worth of credit with those men, and he had little or no chance of getting it. Members were emphatic that the men should have been informed of a stoppage of work before the holidays. Mr Huggins thought that enquiries should be made"into the statements that the men would work for a lower rate of pay. A lot should be made of it, he said, as it showed that the men realised the economic position of the country. He. considered it wonderful that workman should take that attitude. Mr Stewart said that ho had spoken to a number of the men. Some of them were willing to work for 10s a day. while others were against it, and would not aceept it. only as a last resort, to he kept in work in preference to being out of work at all. Mr MofTatt warned the mooting about touching on the wage question. This railway was a national work, and there was no reason why the suggestion of a wage reduction should come from Nelson. The railway was not a relief work. The following resolution was c?r“ried: “That this meeting wishes to make urgent representations to the Government as to the dhnlorahle s>tnati'on in which nearly ..three hundred men are suddenly clanged hv then: dismissal at short notice from the Mid land Railmav ■ 'construction works. A large nronortion have returned;;: from the Christmas holidays, and are practically penniless. Tt, was not until the 7th inst. that they received notice that the work would cease to-day. and that they must vacate their .present dwellings. They have no means to travel to work elsewhere, even if work were available. Their position is so desperate that it is obvious that work rmipt he found for them immediately to prevent total destitution. The Nelson Progress League therefore desires to be informed, without ' delay, of the Government’s intentions with, regard to these men, and would strongly urge that, as a matter of decency : and-.hu-manity alone; the. railway workers be allowed to continue: the -formation work till the whole question can he further considered.” Information was gained from Gowan that there are at present, ninety .married 'and 200 single men on the work. They will all be paid off to-day. It was unanimously decided to send a deputation to Wellington. If the reply to the League’s message regarding the workers is favourable, the deputation will not go to Wellington until Mr Forbes’s return, but if not, tlio deputation will go as soon as possible. ACTING-PREMIER’S REFUSAL. While the meeting was in progress, the following message was received from the Hon. Mr Ransom, ActingPrime' Minister: “With reference ...to your letter of the sth inst., and previous representations, in connection with the suspension of the Midland line I have to point out that the whole matter of railway construction was very carefully considered by Cabinet, and it was decided that work should cease on those lines which, on available reports, showed the greatest possibility of national loss, It is the considered opinion of the Government that these works cannot proceed without adding considerably to the burden of the general taxpayer, and that such a policy cannot be sustained, paiticularly in a time of great economic distress. The position lias become so acute that the further prosecution ol the works is not justified. The result so far an the railway construction workers is concerned, is fully appidelated, and the suspension of works was purposely delayed until the Government could see a prospect ot utilising labour in more productive avenues. These will comprise; in the mam, land

development for settlement purposes, and road construction in 'connection therewith.” MR HOLLAND’S SUPPORT. WESTPORT. January 13. Air H. E. Holland, AI.P., oil receipt of a telegram from the Nelson Progress League, intimating that, that body had sent a message to the Act-ing-Prime Minister concerning the deplorable position of some 300 men dismissed. on short notice, from the Al idland Line construction works, wired hack to the League that ho is telegraphing the Acting-Prime Al blister m support of the League’s resolution, Air Holland’s telegram being as follows. “As representative of part of the district through which the .Midland Lino will pass, I desire strongly to support the Nelson Progress League’s resolution urging that the railway men bekepf, at work. I would also urge that Parliament he called together immediately following the, Prime .Minister's return for the purpose of making provision to meet the problems of unemployment and finance which confront New Zealand at the present time.” ACTTNG-PR EAII KR.’S REM A RKS. WELLINGTON, January 13. A reference to the absorption of the unemployed on developmental works was made by the Acting-Prime Alinisster, to-day in discussing a report from Nelson that the men put off the Al idland Railway construction works wore being left destitute. Speaking generally upon , the question of finding work, Mr Ransom said it was hoped.to place at least 10.0 men on road works connected with State land development within the next week. A further 100 men would be placed within three weeks. In view of flu; fact that final arrangements had not been mode, be said, he did not wish to state the exact localities in which this work would be provided in the meantime. As far as the cessation of work on the AlVlland line was concerned. Mr Ransom said lie was in touch with various Government departments with a view to providing work for the men put. off. However, lie was at a loss to understand the reports concerning the acute distress among the men, seeing that they finished work only today, and that those who had been on work for two years or more would receive at least four weeks* pay. These men constituted about 30 per cent, ol the total, and no one would receive less than £4 on being paid off. CISBORNE LINE OVER 700 IDLED, GISBORNE, January 1.1. Work mi I he Waikokopu-Gisborne section of the Fast Coast Line officially ceases to-morrow, when seven hundred and twenty-four men will he thrown out of employment and thousands of pounds worth of material and work will he ’ practically scrapped. During tin* past lew days, gangs ol men have been engaged in pulling up rails which it took weeks to 'lay down; ..Many of the.men on the works are married, and have families rangingup to,eight children. *1 he total number of persons affected by, the stoppage is estimate'll at about thirteen hundred. The stores and cookhouse on .the works have stopped credit, and a majority of the workers have practically no money, the position of many men, women aim children is desperate. Appeals are being made throughout the columns of the press in Gisborne for food, and already donations of sheep, bread, sugar, fruit, etc., have been sent out to the men. So far no official estimation has been received of any other work being provided for men displaced by the Cabinet’s decision to suspend work on the line. WORKERS’ UNION DEMAND. i ■ A largely attended meeting .of the New Zealand Workers’ Union was Item at Berketts, the main railway camp on Sunday afternoon, and the. following resolution were passed : ' “That this 'meeting of the Kopua Branch" of the New Zealand Workers’ Union declares ifcs determination to remain in occupancy of the works accommodation until such time as the Government provides alternative cm- j ployment elsewhere for the married and single men alike, the cost of the transfer to he borne by the Government. Failing this, that we call upon the. Government to provide the men with a sustenance payment, according to the Unemployment Act.” “That this meeting protests most emphatically against the statements by Air Ransom that the average wageearned by the workers on this section is seventeen shillings per diem.f LOW WAGES I’RQVE.I). A persual of the timesheets of a number of the men was made at the camp yesterday by a. "limes” reporter, and this indicates uumistake-' ably that, in very many cases, the average wage is nearer twelve shilling a day that seventeen shillings. The men are put on co-operative contract jobs and payment is . made per cubic yard. In November lasi, one gnng of eleven men received for a month’s work a cheque for £BS 7s Brt, an average of just under £l7 los 3d per man, which was equivalent on the hours work to 1$ and 6.22 pence per hour. In October, six men drew a cheque for £55 ISs 3d, equivalent to Is and 3.31 pence per hour. In August, four men divided a cheque of £2l 2s sxl, which was equivalent to Is 2.-lßdd per hours. A party 'of eleven in February last were working on a steam navvv and the .individual >yago.s. for

the month ranged from £ls 15s Id, including Sunday and overtime to £0 15s sd, the average working out at 10.6-id per hour. The lowest figures of the. lot were those in the case of a married man with a wife ami five children, al Hiving at tile camp, whose earnings for twelve months, ended .March last, totalled £l-1.1) 6s Ski. Iliese dockets are authentic, and were produced by the men for inspection. The cause of the low pa.vj in many cases is due to the fact that, wet; weather means no work, and in some parts of the line one day’s rain will mean three day’s idleness, due to the nature of the soil in which the men are working. AY lie n the works were started at Kopua a medical Association was formed. Each man on tiie works contributes -Is 3d per mopth towards the cost of n medical man, who resides in the camp. A meeting ol the Kopua .Medical Association was held last night, and it was decided to disband after to-morrow. This means that an ‘isolated district in which the population of the camps total at least thirteen hundred men, women and children will he without the services of a doctor.