WARNING TO RAILWAYMEN.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1044, 6 February 1911, Page 5

WARNING TO RAILWAYMEN.

UNION PRESIDENT'S REMARKS.

' (By- Telegraph—Special Correspondent.! ' Wanganul, February 4. Mi. W<-A. Veiteh, president of the Amalgamated Society of. Railway Ser- ' "»ants, who for some years lias been stationed at-Wanganui, has been transferred ■on promotion to Cross Creek. At a ,yaledictory gathering of tho_ local railway etaffrho was presented with a silver inkstand and a dinner service for Jlrs. "Tcitch*. Several-. speeches _ were made, eulogising his good t qualities as a Jnaii_ '. and- a fellpw worker, and his services to ,the railwaymen ; generally, when acting as. president of the society. . . After-' thanking those present for tho '. gifts, Mr. .Veiteh went on to refer to tho present relations between thesociety and tho Government, saying that it was to be very much regretted that matters between the society and those in authority had-come to such a .serious and critical "' • condition as unfortunately existed to- ' day, and means must be found to place tho men in a more secure position than they occupied at present. Ho noted that several branches had passed resolutions urging the conference to affiliate the society with outside labour. . In this connection ho would like to give a word of warning. In 1690, they became affiliated with tho Maritime Council, and very soon .. afterwards found themselves involved in a' disastrous - strike, and quite recently - . they had to pay to the Superannuation Fund ,£ISOO to. obtain very meagre justice for somo of the oldest and best unionists. While ho was heart and soul with'the.idea of combining all laWur organisations for mutual. defence as' the only means now. available to obtain and retain fair working conditions, lio also • realised the necessity of exercising the greatest care in making the necessary arrangements. They must be quite certain ■ there was no possibility of a repetition of the experience during and after the maritime strike in 1890. Their salvation lay • in retaining; the sympathy and respect, of the general public by displaying un- . failing loyalty to them, at the same time reserving to themselves tho right to use <iyery constitutional means of defence. He was. convinced that an . organisation of all ' ' unions' into' af complete combination run on rational, and, comraon-senso lilies woqjd- be a 'lipup,i^p-itljo,/jvho]<?,fptnmunity ari'd"would do'h'gfeiit'deal -to .bring abbiit . industrial peace, because it would then be possible to i maintain good discipline -in the various unions, and at the same ■;t'' time exercise- sufficient-power'to-defend them.