AFTER THE STRIKE.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1357, 7 February 1912, Page 5

AFTER THE STRIKE.

THE FIRST WET DAY. TRAMS APPRECIATED. JVir six whole days of tram strike tin weather Iwhaved remarkably well, and the public woro not very seriously inconvenienced bv htviiii; to walk on their daily errands, but yesterday, when Iho trams were, running again, a determined southerly drizzlu made everyone very glad U) be able to use them. A normal j-'ervicft was maintained and the loading on nil routes was.as heavy us usual. One result of the cessation of work v:us apparent early in the morning before tln> rain came. The (racks linil got into a very dirty condition in thv six days of idleness, nml Iho hurried cleaning they had vvecived on Monday night was not sliliicieht to ])ut them to rights again. Iho icsiill was a great deal of very unpleasant dust in tin. wake of evert- car, and n good deal of it floated inside to soil the clolhns of passengers. By tomorrow (In- rails will be thoroughly clean ngiiDi, )'<»• ;> special gang of men has Ijocii employed to clean (hem in the old-fashion-oil way, with hiind^c'nops. Apparently (he strike is thoroughly dead, tor there vcro no indications either 111 the si reels ~|. in t| lo i, a ,,,,( s O f (],„ <illicials who had been especially concerned with it, that there had ever been any trouble of any sort. EVIDENCE FOH PROSECUTIONS. The only topic of gossip yesterday was I lie prospect of the Department 'prosecuting the strikers, and who had aided them in the dispute. Mr. .1. Loinas, who is chief of din local branch of the labour Department, and from whom on y instructions to prosecute must emanate, was not anxious to discuss the matter when approached by a Dominion reporter 1t... explained (hat there was much preliminary investigation to be done mi ore prosecutions could be launched, and the ohcors usually entrusted with (his work had already embarked upon it. As won as tlio strike occurred thev obtained • iu names of all the trainwaymen, but they had still to collect and brief evidence /Whether the Department were considering the possibility of prowcutinc any ot the strike leaders, or, indeed' whether anybody would certainly be prose, cuted he preferred not to say.' MR. HALLY'S ACTION. HE REPLIES TO CRITICS. "DID THE RIGHT THING." A considerable. dual of criticism has been levelled nt Mr. J'. Hally. Conciliation Commissioner, for Iho part he took 111 the negotiations fur, a settlement, and yesterday he gave, a Dominion reporter <i reply to some of. the statements that haw boon circulated most freely. 1 feel that- Thk Dominion* has scarcely done me justice in suggesting that hit intervention was Unwarranted. The only reason 1 look any part in the proceedings was, that: tho dispute arose in the industrial district of Wellington, for which I am Conciliation Commissioner, and 1 did consider that if it came within any person's province to try to assist in. the settlement of the trouble, it: certainly came, within mine. I thought it was my duty to try (n end tho dispute, and, having come to that conclusion, I acted onHroly on my own responsibility, without instruction from any official' or any organisation of any kind. As to other statements—not imide by TnK Dominion ~\. am not aware of any resolution having been passed by the City Council instructing mo to do anything at all. Aβ a matter of faet, had any such resolution bpcn passed by tho council, it; would have been tin! duty of the council's executive officers to give effect to it. As far as I nin concerned, had the council Uiougjit it wise to instruct me even to refrain from seeing Fuller, I am not siire that I would have fell; myself bound to be guided by that instruction. "I nm still of opinion that I did the right thing, but unfortunately circumstances—my absence from Wellington—prevented my doing it at tho right lime. Had I been able to take hold of the situation three days earlier, I think, tho trouble might never have assumed tho serious complexion it ultimately did. The. objective of the Tramways .Union was that Inspector Fiifler should be rembred to Roiuo position Where he would not como into contact with the members of the union. 1 was satisfied that it would be ill the interests of Fuller himself, and of everybody else concerned, that ho should allow himself to be transferred, i\ud at: my suggestion ho agreed to put himself in the council's, hands. It is absolutely untrue that I made use of any unfair means or arguments, as has been stated, in dealing with him. 1 did nothing of the sort. And I am perfectly satisfied that when 1 saw hi in he was in a proper frame of ■mind to consider any proposition I was likely to mako to him. The fact that he consulted his own superior officers prior to taking any definite, step is, 1 think, quite sufficient proof that I took no unfair advantage of him. 1 believe that I could have induced him to sign n statement on tho afternoon of Wednesday when the cars were being )>ilcd up, nut 1 met him for Hit first time {bat day—l had no knowledge of the man —and 1 postponed making,.any tangible proposal until the. following day, when presumably he had had time to think malic! s over.' As a result of i«y intervention, the cnix of the difficulty wiw overcome—that is to say, Mr. r'ullhr agreed la be transferred, and the council agreed to transfer him. Subsequent matlei's, such as 'dignity,' which aro supposed to have delayed the settlement, I had no special concern about. I am still satisfied that I did the right .thing."