ROBERT TENNENT.]

I.—4a.

7

121. So there is practically a day lost now ?—Yes. 122. Mr. Guinness.] That is, two half-holidays ?—One full day. One colliery is idle one Saturday and the other the next Saturday. I refer to the Westport Coal Company. 123. Mr. Millar.] That has been the custom for years ?—Yes, the last two or three years. 124. Mr. J. Allen.] Will you tell us what the average time per week is for the year—winter and summer—for an ordinary miner's work?—l happened to be present in the Arbitration Court when the Westport Coal Company handed in a statement of the average time worked : it was 5'3 days per week all the year round. But I think so far this year there has been a reduction in the time. The Granity Creek Mine has not been fully employed. 125. You said, in answer to Mr. Millar, with regard to piecework, that the only difference would be that the output would be decreased: is that so ? —Yes. 126. Now, in your opinion, what proportion of the men on the Coast are engaged on piecework compared with the day's-wages men ? I wish to include in the day's-wages men office men, men engaged in haulage on the surface, truck-tipping on the surface, loading trucks, truckers down below —if they are day's-wages men —and all the rest. Take one mine that you know of and give me the proportion of pieceworkers to day's-wages men? —About half day's-wages men and half pieceworkers, as nearly as I can say. 127. You told us that the effect of last year's Act was to reduce the hours of work at the face by half an hour a day ? —Yes. 128. If this Bill became law as it stands now, what would be the result on the time worked at the face ?—lt would take off fully half an hour. 129. Now, what is your experience of the effect of the last Act as between the day's-wages men and the pieceworkers ? Are the day's-wages men at the surface working eight hours or seven hours and a half ?—They generally knock off when the pit knocks off. 130. Does that mean half an hour's less work? —Yes,-half an hour's loss to the company. 131. If this Act is passed, will another half-hour be knocked off the day's-wages men's time?—Yes, just half an hour. 132. In your opinion, if another half-hour is knocked off the day's-wages men, can they expect to get the same pay?—No, they cannot. 133. Then, the result would be a reduction of their wages ?—Certainly; it could come to nothing else. 134. Do you of your own knowledge know whether the men would rather work half an hour a day less and have their wages reduced correspondingly or remain as at present? —I think they would prefer to remain as at present. 135. With regard to the work at the face, I understood you to say that in the case of a single shift the men now do seven and a half hours' pick-and-shovel work and take up half an hour in going and coming—that is, eight hours underground, exclusive of meal-time : is that so ?—They have their meals underground. 136. Yes ; but the work at the face and going and coming, exclusive of meal-time, takes up eight hours ?—At our collieries, where the haulage is taxed to its utmost capacity, we generally regulate the work by the haulage. We start strictly to the hour and knock off strictly to the hour, and these ropes are going for eight hours, less the meal-time. 137. Mr. Guinness.] In the middle of the eight hours the ropes are not travelling? —They stop on the hill. 138. Mr. J. Allen.] The actual travelling-time of the ropes is seven hours and a half?— Yes. 139. And the actual working-time seven hours and a half?—Yes. 140. Supposing you have three shifts going in a mine, what is the result upon the men: do they work the whole twenty-four hours, or have they to stop ?—ln one case sixteen hours is worked. As I said, half an hour out of the eight is allowed for the men to travel, and the rope is then stopped for half an hour for one shift to go in and the other to come out. 141. Then, there is a loss of half an hour for the meal-time and another half-hour for coming in and going out ?—Yes. Practically, where there are two shifts running in the sixteen hours, there is a dead loss of one hour on each shift. The same conditions apply where three shifts are worked. 142. Does that reduce production?—Yes. 143. Are the machines worked on time or piecework ?—All day-work. 144. What would be the result of this Bill upon the machines : would it cut down their work by half an hour?—Yes, just the same. 145. Mr. R. McKenzie.] Which men were you referring to when you said the haulage-ropes only worked seven hours and a half?—The whole of the ropes—Denniston, Blackball, and Brunner. 146. When do they start working?—At 8 o'clock, and stop at 4. 147. Is that eight hours ?—Yes ; but there is a stop in the middle of the day for meal-time. 148. The inference to be drawn from what you said was that the men must get into the mine and out of it in seven hours and a half ?—I did not mean that. 149. Is it a fact that the men in a shift going on relieve the other men when they knock off? —They change at 2 o'clock. 150. The haulage does not stop because one engineer relieves another, does it ?—A whistle blows at a quarter to 2, and they knock off. 151. How long are the men in the mine from the time of entering to coming out ?—Eight hours. 152. Is that eight hours exclusive of their crib-time ?—No; the crib-time is in that time. 153. Is that working three shifts ?—Three or one, it is all the same.