IS ANOTHER STRIKE COMING?

Kaipara and Waitemata Echo, 12 June 1919, Page 3

IS ANOTHER STRIKE COMING?

The tramway men living warned the Company.that.mnless their demands are conceded within a very few days from date they intend to Strike, a' long-suffering public is/naturally fearing a general stoppage of the cars, a state of /things not particularly exhilarating to contemplate at this season of the year, especially in the case of people who, livkig in. the more distant suburbs not served by the railway, will, if the trams cease to run, be compelled to dofone of two things—walk into to4rn and home again in the evening, or stop at home altogether. The men declare that in prolonging a settlement of the dispute t)ie Company is simply f markingtime " until July 1,/ when the City Council will take over the control and ownership of the trams, and the Cpmpany will thus (say the men) escape increased cost of labour "leaving the ratepayers t6 shoulder the responsibility of-a higher wages sheet." Alas/ the ratepayers will have to'shoulder that responsibility in any case ! Higher wages mean, of course, higher fares, whether the trams are municipally owned or privately owned. Personally I should like (as I think I have said before) to see the zone system (so long advocated by the late Mr Sam Vaile, of this city, in connection with oui railway?) applied to the tramway system. In that case, as you know, the fares would be uniform within each zone. This would encourage people to live a good way out of town, and meet to some extent at least the housing difficulty. But a tramway strike?—may the Fates preserve us from anything of the kind! A strike is like liberating a toy balloon—you don't where it will stop.