WORK AT MANGAHAO.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 2045, 23 October 1919, Page 2

WORK AT MANGAHAO.

Referring in the House yesterday work on the Mangahao hy-dro-electric scheme, Mr J. A. Nash (Palmerston N.) stated that the present contract price of Is a yard for the removal of loose earth was too low; the price for the removal of loose royk should lie at least 2s (id, not Is 9d, a yard. Pur hard rock the. men received .2s (id only, and had to find their own gelignite. Under such conditions they could not wc'mder at the men leaving the work. The policy of the Public Works Department was that the wage should not exceed 12s a day; wh’ereas local authorities were paying 13s to 14s a day. if the Department wished to expedite the work and keep the men there, he maintained they would have to raise ■the wages to at least 14s a day. The men at present were not averaging more than £2 a week.

Sir William Fraser said that the rate of 12s a day had been fixed, not only by himself, hut by Cabinet, as the standard wage for all workers. They could not vary from that except under exceptional circumstances. The prices mentioned were fixed to enable men of average capacity to earn 12s a day. Members: Not enough! If, added the Minister, the department raised wages to compete with the local authorities and with private industry, it would be doing what it had no right to do. Mr Nash: You can't get the men for the money.

Sir William Fraser said that he was not prepared to pay a higher rate so~as to take men from their present work on farms, etc. He knew that the men had not been able to earn good wages so far, because the weather had been so inclement. He would have inquiries made into the matter. Ju