THE BETRAYAL OF THE CITY.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1358, 8 February 1912, Page 6

THE BETRAYAL OF THE CITY.

Sir,—Seldom, if ever, havo I felt so utterly disgusted with a body of public representatives as I did yesterday, when the terras of settlement (I should say surrender) in connection with the tram strike were made known. After standing out for five days in defence of tho principle as to whether the Tramway Union should havo tho right to dictate as to who should or should not act as an inspector, the council ignominiously capitulated, and the tramway ,iucn havo secured an unqualified victory. Now, Sir, I havo a good deal of sympathy for tho working man, having been a worker myself since I was eleven years of age until now, and while I agree that an obnoxious inspector gives good ground for united representations for his removal, I deliberately assert that such representations should be accompanied bv proven instances of tho objectionable methods of the inspector. This the tramway men have never done, at least, so far as tho public is aware, and the City Council made tho initial mistake in touching tho question at all until its responsible officers had dealt with the matter on the lines I suggest. The ultimate result of tho strike is that the president and secretary of the Tramway Union aro now tho virtual managers of our tramways, Tho City Council has lost all right to tho confidence of tho public, and as ono of those who elected them to the position, I demand that they resign in a body, so that wo may pass judgment upon their action. So far as I can.see, not ono oi' them is worthy of the trust reposed in them —not even Councillors Shirtclifl'o and Atkinson, whom we havo to thank for tho temporary stand mode, for the surrender is reported to have been unanimous. I think it is time the citizens rose to exterminate tho loud-mouthed braggart, who talks of "stopping tho wheels of industry," for. the purpose of making Labour top-dog. As a worker, I have only tolerated a bad "boss" for a very short time, and I am quite convinced that the good worker has little time for the unions, whose main object is the conservation of the "waster's" interests. At all events, in the present disgraceful surrender, our city's best interests havo been betrayed and tho men responsible should bo called to account..—l urn, etc., DISGUSTED.