Ferdinand von Mueller

Melbourne bot. Garden

18/11/71.

Sir

In accordance with your instructions I have the honor to report on the case of Carpenter H. Petersen,

1

On 8 November 1871, Petersen wrote to the Chief Secretary complaining of 'a case of injustice done to me by Dr. Von Muller' and seeking to be reinstated to his former position of carpenter at the Botanic Garden. He complained in particular of having suffered damage to his eyes as a result of having been required by M 'to nail calico on the top of the large Glasshouse' on a day of very bright sunshine, and of M's having retained, at the time the Garden suffered a large reduction in staffing, a young labourer, Cottrell, to do carpentering work that he was not qualified to do. Petersen's letter was referred to M on 16 November 'for his immediate report'.

and to refer also to a memorandum, dated and submitted on the 3 Oct. 1870 in reply to his petition, then sent to your predecessor.

2

M to J. McCulloch, 3 October 1870.

He then pretended, that he was in a very helpless state, and yet it is within my knowledge, that he worked as other private carpenters at his trade ever since. Now a year later he urges to be reemployed in the botanic Garden, while he represented before, that he was permanently injured. The circumstances in relation to this artisan, as far as I am concerned, are the following.

I engaged him myself as Carpenter at a time in 1858, when the votes of the bot. Garden were about double as large then now, there being no carpenter here previously employed, and such engagements being left to my discretion. He was engaged by the week, it being distinctly told him, that he could be discharged at any time at a weeks notice. (This he studiously suppresses in his present applications.) His work and engagements were not continuous since 1858; for whenever the wages fund did not admit of the continuance of his services, which happened on several occasions, he was paid off, and his subsequent reengagement was merely a matter of my Directorial discretion. When the large reduction of the Gardenvote took place in May 1870, Carpenter Petersen was discharged with 16 other employees, and this with the special approval of the then Chief Secretary, an aged Carter of many years employ in the bot. Garden was also discharged then and never reengaged.

The vote of the botanic Garden has been still further reduced this year by £200. -. -, and altho' the place of the botanic collector after Mr Dallachy's death has not been filled up, I have still been obliged to overdraw the average fund, and even if no collector was reengaged, which would be a sad calamity to my Department, I should have no means to keep a Carpenter specially.

The employee Cottrell has been living since the last six years on the ground of the bot. Garden, where he has charge of the singing birds, water birds and other animals; he has also charge of three of the gates and must be on the spot Sundays and holidays, attending to the aviary, palmhouse &c. without extra-pay. His duties are from 6 in the morning til Sundown; he also performs glazing, painting and such carpentering work, as is not carried out under public works contracts. He also does part of the labelling and signwriting; for all this he has only 7/ for the work day or 42/ per week; and I have no fund in the department to pay a man for these various works, which are absolutely necessary, and to pay for a regular Carpenter also now the customary high wages.

As already stated in my memorandum last year, Petersen is in easy circumstances; his children are grown up, and I believe that they all now provide for themselves. Cottrell has 3 children, all quite young yet, born on my ground and his family is soon to increase again.

I was never informed of any accident having occurred to Petersen in the way mentioned by him through any report at the time or through any medical certificate. For years he never fixed the Calico for shading of the Conservatory. If he did so on a sunny day many years ago, it was his own incautiousness, as the order for fixing the shade was never a matter of an hour, but merely a duty of the season. He is quite able to use his eyes, though when using his tools he wears spectacles like many elderly people.

3

In the light of M's letter, Duffy on 23 November 1871 ordered that Petersen be informed that he had no claim on the Government.