REJOINDER.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1239, 22 September 1911, Page 5

REJOINDER.

ON BEHALF OF THE TRAMMEN. BY THEIR SECRETARY. IN REPLY TO THE MAYOR. The reply given by tho Mayor (Mr. T. M. Wilford, M.P.) and tho City Electrical Engineer (Mr. S. Richardson) to tho statements made by tho secretary of the Wellington Tramways Union (Mr. A. Sutherland), and published in Monday's Dominion, has drawn a further statement from the secretary of t-ho union.

Mr. Sutherland states that, when tho matter was before the Tramways Committee, ho asked why they could not co on m .the abseuco of tho Mayor; nud tho reply was that tho Mayor had very important information in his hands. "If that was actually the case," tays Mr. Sutherland, "why did not Mr. Wilford reopen tho negotiations when he came back, mstcad of placing the responsibility on Mβ shoulders of subordinate offioors?' Was the case too weak?" In regard to tho roster and Hie statement that the union had not furnished the key to it, the secretary of the union states that tho key had been given to tho management, and to tho sub-cominittce appointed to confer -with tho union, and tniat, oh two occasions, they went through the roster with the aid of tho key. The management had actually applied part of tho roster to tho Karori service. It is contended by Mr. Sutherland that tie' Mayors willingness to bring an expert from America, England, or Australia to decide on tho relative merits of tho two rosters, amounted to an admiVsioii that the service was not being well ndminis,r ■- Wft y di(l h .° want an expert,"asks Mr. Sutherland, "if I was not right in my criticism of tho management?' . As to the statement that the secretary had spent a lot of time in indicting the management, Mr. Sutherland aborts that hie always had reason on his side, and, as an instance, he refers to his contention that special cars wero being run on the Brooklyn lino which wero unnecessary.

Coming to the question of wages, and to the statement that the men can earn .£8 a, fortnight, Mr. Sutherland admits that he knows of ono motorman who earns as much fairly regularly by -working very long hours—long hours that should not bo allowed—ho adds. Few of the motormen earn mors than £H a fortnight. Tho conductors, who are paid at the rato of Is. an hour, cannot be classed as anything but unskilled labourers in the opinion of the union, and tho secretary states that applicants for the positions mo given preference if they are married men, and havo to serve a fortnight at their own expense. During that period they are roouired to make up shortages, so that the billot is not a great one for a married man.

Mr. Sutherland admits that the carcleanors average £3 a week, and that that wage is more than an ordinary lalxmror would earn, but he points out per contra that the car-cleaners' work about 305 nights a year. He fails to seo -why pointsmen at Cuba Street are paid only £2 15s. a week, while a dispatcher recoive-s £3 7s. fid. Th« pointsmen, ho holds, do more work than tho dispatchers, and are equally competent.

As a last point, Mr. Sutherland still maintains'that'it is owing to tho loyalty of the men' that the timo-tablo running is possible. As an instance ho takes tho case of tho niotorman on the Karori service, who is allowed three minutes to cover the distance between (ht> Council Chambers and the clock near tho cemetery. Tho distance, he states,- is a mile, less 8 chains, and includes pix stops, ami the instructions are to wait for any passengers who may bs soon running for the car. If a little time is lost there, what must'bo the pace between the: cemetery,,and the Government Station ? Though tho management assert that the cars will not run more than 17 miles, an hour, the secretary of tho union declares that, every day, on certain parts of tho line, tho cars run as high as 20 miles an hour, though, beyond a.certain speed limit, : ' the: brakes nro.j'uot. capable of copiDg with tho task of control.

Tho reason why Mr. Sutherland is undertaking practically the whole ■ representation of the union in tho negotiations is (he states) that.ho is the paid servant to oxpress._its..wishes,- and the union is not going to allow members to give evidenco on their own behalf and afterwards bn victimised.

"I can refer you, for a. caso in point," added Mr. Sutherland, "to the experience of Conductor Tirams. Timms gavo evidence before the Labour Bills Committee on the Tramways Bill. When ho asked for promotion, some time, afterwards, ho received a letter from the management- stating that it would not take tho responsibility of putting liini on. as a motofmaii oh the evidence ho had given already."