MESSRS. BROGDEN AND THEIR NAVVIES.

Waikato Times, Volume III, Issue 117, 4 February 1873, Page 2

MESSRS. BROGDEN AND THEIR NAVVIES.

A Rbbington Navvy writes to the Southland Ncioi as follows :—": — " I trust you will allow space for reply to a letter in Tuesday's paper, from the agent of Messrs Brogden & Sons, commenting ou the manner they have been served bv tho emigrants per Beoington from London — that instead of working : c :ording to contract, and paying the amount of money due for passage money and oxpenses. they wont and engaged to other employers without leave,, &c. The said agent censures the inhabitants of Invorcargill forgiving them employment, and says Messrs Brogden & Sons did not fetch these men out for the labour market, but to work for them on their public works and railways. In contradiction of that statement, I insy say I for oqe was a passenger by the ship Bebington, and the conditions we came out under were to work for Messrs Brogden & Sons exclusively for two years from the day of landing, at wages not less than five shillings per day —the rate, if above that sum, to be agrredon from time to time or settled by some person appointed by tl>p Governor of the Colony of New Zealand, the firm to retain from our wages ono-fifth till passages, &c, were paid. We were willing to fulfil our part of the contract, providing the the Messrs Brogden would fulfil theirs ; but to our astonishment on landing wo found tie railways ware all sublet, ao that they had no work for us to do. They then wanted us to go and work for tho sub-contractors, and allow them to stop one-fifth of our wages, but we would not. We did not come hero to work for sub-contractors ; we came to fulfil our agreement, but could not because there was no w >rk for us. We thereupo n took it for granted that the contract between us and M,es»rs Brogden & Sons was broken, so that they had no further cla,iui on us for pasage monoy, and that we hacl to get work where we could. In regard to the inhabitants of Invercargill baing to blame for employing tho Bebii\gton. immigrants without Messrs Brogden's permission, I think it will be seen that i^ was not wanted in any way, because the agents told the men to go and get woik Where they oould. If blame attaches to any one it is to the agents themselves. One thing more I wish to say— that the people of tbe place did what was in their power to relieve our wants ana find ns accommodation in every way, instead of trying to injure ether narty. I think, somehow, the main point the Messrs Brogden & Sons had in Tiew was to try and get wages down, and I tmnk it it a wrong thing for them to entice men away from homo under a false statement. I think it will be advisable to warn all emigrants before they leave Uoiae that the country is large and free— that there is plenty of work, au,d that they must not believe everything that the railway contractors put in the newspapers. For my own part, I will do for any new emigrants that come out hera all that lie* in my power, au,d give them, all the advice I can."

A very singular explanation is given by Mr Todd, the head of the telegraph department in South Australia of the cause of tl c frequent interruptions in the overland line. It was thought by the uninitiated that it \y.as due in no sninll (legrco to the wooden poles employed having either given way by iiooil*, or to having boon struck o. deslrojcd by lightning. Nothing of the kind, however. It has invariubly been on that portion of tho Imo where iron pol^s aro employed that damage has occurred. Tlie lightning, Mr Todd says, has struck the insulators and BnmshecJ the iron pillars, and ho i* now engaged in finding how means may he adopted to prevent this destruction. This atjraissipn w^ill {t\Ve many persons by surprise who have been expecting that the replacement of wooden posts by • iron oiu'B would muko the transcoutmcnttil telegraph l.jio a vurk ot eonshuohoii.