CO-OPERATIVE WORKS.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 4, Issue 22, 19 March 1915, Page 4

CO-OPERATIVE WORKS.

A Few Sidelights on Railway Construction.

(By "The Vagrant.")

Ihave read your report cf the Waiuku railway "strike" with considerable interest and more particularly the result of your interview with the Engincer-in-Charge. Now, although not disputing the accuracy or otherwise of the statement made by Mr Hall-Jones, 1 woul i like for the information of jour readers to give a few particulars of the Co-opera-tive System—more paiticularly as it applies to the Wuiuisti line.

To the inttnuing "grafter" re- I quiritg work on the Waiuku ilne there are several methods of secur- j ing those much-=ought-aft r posi- j tions. You ceil a;,ply to the Governnunt Labour L iieau in Auckland, j or pet a letter from £oi;o person j of ii.il ief.ee, say, a member of j Parliament, ot from the member for the distri I \u which the Waiuku | rail.vay is heated, or apply direct to the Engiiuer, who will refer you to the Overseer. If you have | a wtak brain a,d a strong bach, j or are weak in both departments, j

vou will deubtless succeed in getting on. if ycur stsi is in the right quarter you nay bs pta'tcd on day wage at 9s per day. If ;eu get on day wages you are the subject of envy on the part of men engaged on piece work, who have to graft fairly hard to pay for 'heir tucker. Tents are pioviCed free by the P.W.D. (not 3 —this doss not men Paid Wet rind Dry); also picKs and other working gear, cxzept a shovel which the toiler must ouy. Tucker may be obtained from the store and butcher by those who have no ready cash by signing an order on the F. W. Depart'! er.t, th<J amount of the order btitg a lirst charge on the workmen's So you see a man may come clung stone, motherj less brcke and get a fresh start in the world. Ihe chances are you will I not be l.i gon day work. You may I be promoted to piece work, say, in a cutting. If you are an experienced navvy you will by the ordinary tumidness of things find joimclf in a cutting with mm possessed of only a nodding acquaintance with toil, if you a>e lucky trough to get into a decent cutting jou may make Lis a diy. (the pay or; tne line was 9a 2d for last mooth). the Engineer ' omitted to rn-mtion that out of the j Is Od per yard paid on piece work J 5s or o's per day has to be paid for each tip-hoise. On o e cutting two and sometimes three horses are used, lor in the event of drays being used instesd of rails aid trucks, such as is the case in sone ii.slai.ces, the expense in this particular amounts to about 27s Gd per day. In addition ail explosives used (a considerable itviiW is deducted from the amount t aid per yaid. The class |of sell lo be removed is a stilf j clay, and experienced navvies are i well acquainted wi;h the fait that ! clay cuttings are not payable ! propositi .ns at the best of times. Just contrast the Waiuku line of shallow cuttings, clay soils and expensive working with cuttings on lines like (he Main Trunk or the North Auckland li e j , where urn have had sometimes two years work in one cutting and where they could make 10s a day woiking only coven hours.

The work is not uninteresting amidst this bustling sc.ne of indusI irir.us workers. Jasi in passing ' all w mi: to out in a word for that j ufiju-tly malign.d individual- cadet, | assistant engineer or engineer's assistant, whatever hie official designation may be —He has really I a very slrenuiua time. He is often [out or; his engineering duties as early as 10.30 a.m. Certainly he I has two assistants to help him ! carry any gear. The camps are erecttd for the asaistant engineer ! and his accompanying satellites by 'the P.W. Department carpenters. iHe is aho provided With a man I ceok who is, or was, accompanied iby his wile. 1 assume that the I cook cooked for the assistant | engineer and the wife cooked for | Ihe look. Vou will thus see that j the assistant engineer is to be I sympathised With in nis arduous I task.

In icgard to the men employed on the works —i.e., the common navvy —few if any get the sack. Such a course of course would not meet with [ublic approval. When it is decide! to reduce hands, or when the toilers have outstayed their welcome, they are put on to some niece work where they would have to graft some to make 5s a

day. Therefore few, if any, are dismissed from tie works-they leave. Of c ursa the method of constructing our Public Works are :i-.t peculiar to the Waiuku lira. !t is merely the system which g -;'i.ra : !y obtains throughout New Zealand. i can f.'.i.ey some ot my readers asking having r.gard to the mugnni :ent wagis earned on this work "arc there many or the farming cu'i iiiiiniiy woiking en trie line.' Wtii.i.o. Farmer.-, despite many oiuiiii ns lo ihe cuntiary, are possessed cf a fair amount of business acuu.e-.i and make no arte nipt lo oust the cuiiuion laiier out of a I'jLi. One hiiriy prosperous farmer carries out the dun of timekeeper. A sou of too aluresaid farmer acts as a sisiarit-ergitiecr's assistant; a brother of the prosperous farmer above-mentioned also acts a . ;.:r ist ml- ..• (Miice-r's assistant, a brotm-i nf ihe prosperous farmer's iuuli.u-i-.-ia* above mentioned docs n-iil eai ting i >l>i and lures out an ~,: dray or two to the P.W.D. Of ei'insj it is only right and proper in,.! iarmers aiij-ieent lo tne line t!,,ulil get suiiiu pickings out ot the ~,'.,. :.;ii.'ju.;ii all (he tanners v, ,> ud u.e uitway, none of the farmer:.. v,antet.l ». railwa.' through ii.i. ii o-.\;: I jod. an I really it is only ..-t thai hirmers who are b-;■ v, ('..: lo lo much iia ir \ emenee. should [•-cei\e some compensating bcnelits, 1 really think th.it the navvya hav„ milliing mueli to ur.;\vl al-ut, and wouli rULgist that the Ei.gr.'.'. r in Lfiarge, AssihtiintLij'i/iLi.", Absi'lanl Engineer's As t.istaut:i, i'imekti'pers and Overseers ai.ouid l'lim tin. iiiselvL'H into a course ol giings anil just show Ihuse C')!inii' n Navvyd how L'J:. id pur man j> i *\jy can be uicdc with sii' L! ; heroin ease. After petue-irg Uiia article 1 .iuticipatc quite a fnintie lush on the parr o! the stall of the "i'ukckohc Times" to eecure a job on the VVaiukd line.