"SCRAPPING AND SNARLING"

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22506, 14 September 1938, Page 5

"SCRAPPING AND SNARLING"

BUSINESS OF FIRE BOARD MEMBERS’ PLEA FOR MORE CO-OPERATION “The business of the board has been taken up in the last three or four months with these union difficulties and in the last 14 years of my membership of this board we have not had such difficulties. In the last three or .four months we have had nothing but trouble, and it is time we saw that the business of the brigade was carried on efficiently.” This statement was made by the chairman of the Christchurch Fire Board (Mr T. M. Charters), at a meeting of the board last night following a long discussion of a dispute between the board and its employees’ union about the position of “leave” men.

“The men have never had better conditions than they have at present,” he added. “We must see that more constructive things are done. We have put in hours and hours on this union business, and I am quite tired of it. We have endeavoured to meet the men, but there is a point beyond which we cannot go. We have the interests of the city and the safety of the citizens to guard.” , . Mr Charters s remarks followed a similar statement by Mr K. W. Robinson. who said he felt most unhappy as a member of the board. For 14 years his association with the board had been happy, but this year relations had been unpleasant, with members “nibbling at us.” It was time for more co-oper-ation between members. “I feel it is all wrong for us to be scrapping and sndrling over this labour question, and it) is mostly because certain members feel they are here as advocates of the union and not of the city.” “Labourers and Labour have a perfect right to make themselves heard.” said Mr E. A. Sharp. “If I disagree with v anything I am going to say so. If Mr Robinson finds himself unban*"working with us, well, that is his misfortune. But I am not going to be told what I should do.” Mr Robinson: I want to point out that you are acting for the City of Christchurch and not for the union.

Mr Sharp: I am not working for the union.

The discussion was closed with Mr Charters's comments.