PROVING HIS WORDS

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 625, 30 March 1929, Page 10

PROVING HIS WORDS

WORKERS’ SECRETARY REPLIES TO MINISTER MEN ON PUBLIC WORKS (From Our Resident Reporter) WELLINGTON, Friday. “Will the Minister accept this ‘ challenge? This wi be the rrtost practical way of proving my statements,” says Mr. A. Cook, general secretary of the New Zealand Workers’ Union, replying to the Minister of Public Works, the Hon. E. A. Ransom. “I have carefully read the Minister’s , reply to statements made by me re- j garding conditions on public works,” j said Mr. Cook. “Let me say that only in isolated cases has the Minister met the men. Further, those he met were by deputation, and in each case they expressed dissatisfaction with their conditions. This I can prove. The Minister has certainly done a lot of travelling, but the men had no opportunity of interviewing him. The Minister’s idea of moving among the men is to motor along the route at 30 miles an hour. This he (fid when he inspected the Rotorua-Taupo line, and the men’s Representatives were compelled to follow him to Rotorua in order to have a word with him. “The Minister continues by saying that, broadly speaking, the men are entirely satisfied with their employ ment. ” It cuts no ice for Mr. Ransom ] to make that statement, and it would ; cut none for me to deny it. TEN SHILLINGS A DAY “In reference to proving my statement ‘that it is‘impossible for the most experienced men to make wages on present piecework rates,’ I will prove this by taking the Minister to one job —although it applies to all works, both relief and standard —the WarkworthWellsford main highways. There I will prove that some of the best and most experienced construction workers in New Zealand cannot make 10s a day. “In reference to the 200 men recently put off in the North Auckland district, the Minister wishes to know why these men are destitute, as they have just been discharged from works on which the average wage is 14s a day. These men have not averaged 14s a day. They have been on piecework at rates so low that it was impossible to make 10s a day. I can 'produce pay vouchers to prove this. DESTITUTE IN AUCKLAND “Further, many of these men are married, with large families, who reside in Auckland and elsewhere. There was no married accommodation on these works. These men, when dismissed, were ordered out of their tents by the Public Works officials. They are now destitute and among the large body of Auckland unemployed. “Mr. Ransom has said ‘Should it be found that men seeking employment refuse positions offered by farmers they will not be engaged on public works.’ This means that if a man is offered a job on a farm at a low wage and he refuses it, he is victimised by Mr. Ransom's department and refused employment on public works. “Mr. Ransom concludes by saying if I can prove the allegation made to his satisfaction there will be no necessity for any commission. Let me say in reply that, given the opportunity, I can and will prove every statement I have made, along with many others not yet mentioned by me. The opportunity I require is to have responsible persons appointed who shall visit a number of works, both in the North and South Islands. The duty of these persons shall be to inspect living and working conditions. ascertain rates paid and inquire into the department’s method of measuring work and allow me to call evidence to prove my charges. This is the only practical solution.”