D.—4a

23

J. H. FOX

81. From your knowledge of the various workshops, are you in a position to say that the output of the various classes of work at Addington is what might be expected ? —I think it is. 32. Do you know that the work has to be changed frequently on account of the urgent state of affairs ? —Yes. 33. That applies to all the Railway Workshops ?—Yes ; before all important holidays. 34. When you were at Addington did you notice any lack of hydraulic power ? —No, and my attention has not been called to it on any occasion when in charge at Addington. 35. From your own observation, did you find the foremen at Addington thoroughly diligent in the execution of their duties ?—Yes. 36. And thoroughly efficient in the matter of the supervision of the workmen ? —Yes. 37. You had some opportunity of judging with regard to the boiler-shop. Mr. Jenkinson said that another leading hand was required. Did it strike you that this was so ?—No. If it had I would have made a recommendation. I did not consider it necessary. 38. I suppose you did not see Mr. Jenkinson when he went round I—lt was before I went down, I believe. So far as I know he was not round while I was there. 39. Did you, while you were at Addington, hear anything about the workmen being insubordinate or uncivil to their foremen ? —Nothing of the kind. 40. Had such happened you would have dealt with it ? —At once. I may say such a state of things does not exist. 41. You cannot, I suppose, tell, us anything about the number of rivets per day put in by the riveter ?—No, I did not take any notice. 42. The Chairman.] Have you ever had experience in any shops outside of New Zealand ?—No. 43. Have you visited any shops outside of New Zealand ? —No, I have never been outside the Dominion. 44. Your experience is confined to the Railway shops in New Zealand ?—Yes. 45. Have you had experience in private shops ?—Only as a visitor. 46. So that your statements as to the efficiency and speed with which work is done are based on your observations in the Railway shops of New Zealand alone I —Yes, very largely ; but, of course, when visiting other shops, I have kept my eyes open. I believe our shops compare favourably with any shops I nave visited in New Zealand. 47. What would you consider a fair day's work on locomotive-boiler work for a riveter such as they have at Addington ?—I should say about two hundred with the present appliances. 48. Do you consider that the lifting-appliances at Addington are defective ? —For heavy lifts : but for light lifts they are good. 49. By " heavy lifts " you mean overhead travellers ? —Yes, and the crane for the hydraulic riveter. 50. What is the speed of travelling of the overhead cranes ?—I have not timed them, but they are very slow. 51. You think electric cranes should be substituted ? —Yes. 52. What speed should they have ?—I could not say offhand, but I should say ten times that of the present ones. 53. Have you any experience of electric cranes ? —No ; but I have read some of the catalogues regarding them. 54. Can you give us any idea as to how many times a day these overhead cranes are in use 1 — Sometimes they are in use a good portion of the day, especially when rushing out rolling-stock just before the holidays, and in lifting boilers and cabs into place on the engines. Previous to those times they may stand for some days and not be used. 55. What would you put down as the average number of lifts that these overhead travellers have to make in a day, taking the year through ? —I should say half a dozen lifts a day on the average. 56. Mr. Hampton.] You are quite certain that in the various places you have been stationed at you have found no difficulty in enforcing discipline ?—Yes. 57. You do not think, then, that the Classification Act, which gives the men the right of appeal, in any way militates against the enforcement of discipline ?—No, I cannot say I do think so. 58. Do you consider that the men show any disposition to take any undue advantage of the measure of security which that Act gives them ? —I do not. John Anderson examined. (No. 11.) 1. Mr. Beattie.] You are an engineer and member of the firm of John Anderson (Limited) ? — Yes. 2. Have you from time to time visited Addington Workshops I—l1 —I have visited them occasionally. 3. You have opportunities, I take it, of assessing the class of work turned out ?—Yes. 4. What is your opinion of the work done on the Exhibition engine, &c. ?—Excellent. It could not be much better. I have no great knowledge of what goes through Addington, but occasionally we ask Addington to do work that is beyond our plant, and when such work has been turned out for us it has been highly satisfactory. Otherwise my observations of the work going on at Addington are very casual. I have seen their work on the trains, and have examined with a critical eye as a sort of comparison with our own, and I must say I have always found the Addington boiler-work excellent. That is practically all I know. 5. What about the work exhibited at the Exhibition ? —Oh ! that was excellent. But, of course, you must remember that the Exhibition exhibit was a special effort. Occasionally we ask sometimes to get a forging from their big hammer, and that work is always turned out very well indeed.