"A BREACH OF FAITH"

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3156, 7 August 1917, Page 7

"A BREACH OF FAITH"

GAS TROUBLE

IETTER FROM THE PRIME MINISTEF

pij™. no further developments in ml 1 6 gas worker*' trouble 7 /' a 9 Eas will he turned on at « a.m. to-day, ~?e following letter has -been sent by the Prime Minister (the Eight Hon. W. r>t vu Sa6 ™r !?• r " *-'■ Bruce, secretary ot the Wellington. Waterside Workers' ,A9 a ) under date August i:— ■„ , i7® *° acknowledge. the receipt of .your letter of yesterday's date, conveying passed at a meeting of the Wellington Waterside Workers' Union with reference to the dispute between the retort hands and the Wellington Gas Company, and to inform you that tho letter mas been laid before Cabinet. After what las taken place, I regret that I cannot encourage you in thinking that the suggestion contained in the resolution will be adopted.

.. regard to the arrangement for the settlement of- the dispute, which was . agreed to m my office on August 1: if ever there was a, fair, straightforward, and honourable agreement in this world that is the one to which I-am referring, iiven now I cannot understand why the T a ™ es concerned have failed to accept it. ten* of the seventeen employees of the tasworks who ceased work were present at the lengthy conference in my office, 7 hen tho_ wholo question was discussed rtrom beginning to end, and each and ■every one of them went; away leaving the impression behind that tliey were settlement 6atlsfied witlx tte terms of ,I do _not .know, and cannot understand, what took place afterwards; but i -5- i emnd s" ou tllat a lueach of taith such as this causes a feeling of wanp ot confidence which must be very detrimental to the interests of the whole community. I have not even been informed as to the objection which was apparently raised to the agreement signS e P ar ' : ' es to the.conference. . J had already communicated with Mr. -.lustica Stringer and asked him to accept the position of arbitrator. He has telegraphed to me from Auckland intimating that he is willing to.comply.with my request. -I therefore feel -in duty bound to call upon the parties concerned to carry out the agreement.'"-