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Manawatu Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 2255, 24 March 1921, Page 3

(To the Editor.) Sir. —In your issue of Tuesday I notice a hint was thrown out .in the Council that if expenses in connection with the gas works were not curtailed that a further rise may take place in the price of gas. Now, Sir, 1 would like to ask why it is that expenses have so suddenly in--2 creased in the running of the works. Last January a relieving stoker was procured to take the previous stoker's place while he was on his holidays, at a wage of £5 per week, and on the stoker resuming his duties, on the recommendation of the Manager, the relieving stoker was kept on. to fix the purifyers, which work could have been done in a

fortnight, yet three months have gone by, and the working expenses are costing £ls per week instead of £lO. Further, I would like to know why it is that it now takes two men to do the work in the stoke house, as I had occasion to interview the Manager and found two stokers cleaning the fires, a duty that the previous stoker earned out himself. Again, I find the Manager, who has only been here some nine months,

away on holidays. lYhy? Also I find that it takes two men to run the works during his absence, whereas it formerly was done by one man. In other words, it is costing the consumers £lO per week where it should only cost £5 during the Manager’s absence. Then again, there is also an extra hand employed at fittings. Why? I fail to see that Ihe increase in the number of consumers warrants four hands at the works, when previously two could cope with it. It would seem as if the Council is a penny wise and pound foolish in their dealings with a previous employee who on several occasions ran the works on his own during the Manager's absence. Why this extra hand is employed is beyond me. 1 remember something about the question of the previous stoker asking the difference in wages, two pounds, I believe, and he was called a “pointer.” Yet we now pay £.lO instead. As I am a fairly large consumer, I am taking more than a passing interest in things, and would ask why it is that the street lights were turned off owing to shortage of coal, and find that a certain individual obtained coal from the gas works to run his engine last week. Seems to me that affairs at the gas works need looking into before there is any talk of raising the jmoe of gas, for 1 cannot see the wisdom of refusing an extra 3s per week and paying out £5 in its place. —Yours, CONSUMER.