A “BLACK” TUNNEL

New Zealand Times, Volume XLII, Issue 9796, 20 October 1917, Page 7

A “BLACK” TUNNEL

ON NORTH AUCKLAND LINE HIS WORK NOT TO BO RUN BY THE .MEN. DECLARES HON. W. FRASER. Mr J. McCombs, M.R. f or Ajyttolton, called the attention of the Minister for Public Works in Parliament yesterday to the discontent amongst, the men working in a tunnel on the North Auckland railway line. Tho non wished to work under the co-operative system; they would not work under Burnside, one of tho officials; and they had quitted work and declared the tunnel “black." iiiear, hear, and laughter. ) The lion. W. Fraser: “Lot them do so and take the consequences. Hear, hear.; lam prepared to take the - consequences. Vvhac caused the trouble or.gmahy,” ho added, “was that tho moil nad deliberately adopted tho go-slow policy. At lviuungai.orou) tunnel tho average work done per month was 56lt —2ort at each end. In the present tunnel it was only 24rt. Mr McCombs: “It is very duncult territory, and a longer run/ Mr Eraser: “No, it is the same class ol country.” He had sent up a new overseer lately, and when tne men found that the overseer intended to got the work up to the previous standard, antagonism arose. Une of bis engineers, Mr Bavin, had reported that the department should either give up the work on the tunnel or work it on the co-operative system, under which the men would bo paid according to the work done. (Hear, bear.) He had thought it better to intimate to the men that the present rate of work could not continue, and that the co-operative system should bo revetted to. (Hear, hoar.) Mr McCombs: “They want it.” Mr Fraser; “I am not going to have work that lam carry.ng out run by the men. I will let them understand that once for all.” Mr W. Nosworthy (Ashburton): “Fire them out.” (“Oh I” and laughter.) Mr Fraser: “They are not going to obooso my officers, cither. (Hear, hear.) A few amongst them are creating the whole trouble.’’ (Hear, hear.)