LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1894, 31 October 1913, Page 4

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.

STRIKE-BREAKING FARMERB, Sir, —With tho waterside workers' dispute the farmer is again to the fore as an interfering outsider. Is it not high time lor tlie farmer to sit down and ask himself "Wliali'or?" What is the farmer getting out of it? What did ho get out of the slaughtermen's strike, for instance'( Nothing, so far as I can seo, but a bud name. Too mean to pay a paltry three-tenths of a penny increase on the killing rate of sheep. The farmers wero bluffed into tho belief that they would get their stock away if they became strike-break-oft during the strike, lint they didn't. The lying Press Association messages made tho public believo that tho formers wero getting rid of their stock. Tlio recent statement of tho'Minister of Railways completely disproves tho positive assertions of pressmen who wore being fooled by tho meat companies. Hundreds of farmers know that when a buyer came to draft a lino of sheep lie only took one whore in other seasons ho would have taken three.

Then look nt the state of the market during'all this timo. Weekly reports of auctioneering firms show that the, bottom was right- out of tlio fat stock market wherever tho troublo remained unsettled. We know of instances where farmers lost flvo shillings a head on sheep while trying to save three-tenths of a penny for tlio companies. What did the companies lose? Nothing at all, if their own annual bal-ance-sheots aro 'to bo believed. All tho companies aro paying their usual dividends of eight per cent, and uj> wards. Ono, tho Wangaiiui Meat Com- . pany, olaims to have had a record season. Others are equally satisfied with. tho result. Ap a matter of fact, the companies liavo made so much out of the farmers that thov can pay fat dividends whether they kill for a season or • not. ' Thero is ono matter that is probably unknown to tho farmer, and this is my reason for this letter. Tho slaughtermen's strike was declared off many • months ago. But the nioat companios . lia.ve est out to make perpetual war upon the old slaughtermen. Tho Bri- 1 tish notions'of chivalry towards tho defeated is an unknown quantity with them. For instance, after tlie strike was declared off, and there was an opportunity to get competent men to relievo the pressure of stock, several of tho companies continued te fill vacancies with all sorts of hackers and scratches. What is more, they intend to continuft this policy throughout tlio coming season. if, therefore, the farmers find themselves with two-thirds of their stock on their hands again this season, they will begin to review their position, in the light of. expensive aiid hitter 1 experience. And, besides, if' anybody, employer or worker, is looking for feud, he is generally accommodated iu • tlio long run. Tho slaughterman who sees his working mates harassed and hunted is no exception to" the rule.—l am. etc.. 'If. J. REARDON. ■ Wellington., Oetober 29, 1913. [Our correspondent appears, to think that the farmers are to bo intimidated by his thinly-veiled threats. It is bo- . cause of what they havo suffered ill tho pa.st from strike tyranny, as well as the present lawless holding up of tho business of tho port that the formers are taking action.]

i WHY? Sir,—Can you toll us'wliy the wharf labourers are allowed the uso of wait- ■ ing-room during the strike. The question is agitating a largo number of ■people, as the men. •' arc ueitlieY "work- , mg nor? Waiting ;for< work,"-.-and not, therefore/ being efuploye.es,. the ;room , should-be closed against them until the strike is settled, not made use of to incite to fresh .disturbance.--I am, etc., :• PUZZLED. tipper Butt, October 30. SAVING LIFE AT SEA. Sir,—About the middle of this month I saw a- notice in your, psiper in which it: was stated that tho 'captain of tho Narrangansett pumped about 50 tons of oil to calm the rough sea around, tlio Volturno, and this enabled the boats to approach the burning vessel. In a later issue it was stated that' the captain ; o'f the Namngansett expressed tlio opinion that all vessels should carry iv few tanks of oil, for uso in' calming a rough sea, but that 'lie thought that', the use of oil for this purpose would render the saving of lives of people in, the water lnofo difficult. (I. niti sorry that I cannot quote the exact words that he used, but I cannot find the paper.) ■ However, I should have thought that the uso of oil would have made it easier to save tlio lives of people , struggling in the water, instead, of . more difficult, /is I do not reo J.ww the very thin film of oil on the water cdulrl interfere in any way with the efforts of struggling swimmers. I think this ques- : ticn should be set at rest by expeii- . ments, wllicli could easily be made at ' tlie To Aro Baths. I trust, also, that some of your correspondents who ato better Qualified tltn.n I to [express an opinion will' give their views on. tho matter.—4 .