BELL ISLAND INEBRIATES' HOME.

Otago Witness, Issue 2815, 26 February 1908, Page 65

BELL ISLAND INEBRIATES' HOME.

COMPETITION WITH LABOUR. , - .AUCKLAND, February 19l At to-night's meeting of the Trades and; f Labour Council a letter was read from b Major Raokham, of the Salvation Army, yj denying/the insinuations reads' at'aprevi* ; ! ous meeting that the institution known as i . the Inebriates' Home was entering into » unfair competition in the fish', trade. The . I council's informant, the ; MaJoV \'s*id, had' - . utterly" misled it in,' regard to the Armjr'g i intentions so Car 'as Bell* Island was con- > oerned. "Seemingly, on the ex parte s statement of one of He- members," Major. 3 Rackham proceeded; "the whole council] k with- a childlike 'innocence sufficient almost - : to 'startle the intelligence- of the juvenile b ■ section of imbeciles at Whau (local lunatio i asylum), gulped .down at first sight a flimsy, > baseless rumour as puce gospel, and without even waiting to ascertain the facts - committed itself straight away to the fc despatch of * strongly- worded protest to [ ' the Minister of Labour. And not contend - with that seized the, occasion of the Primef » Minister's visit to lodge a protest with him , also. Surely, in justice to the Army, tha r council might at least have afforded it an > opportunity of giving some information - before pi'oceedia-g to extremes." After , discussion it was decided to reply that the" t council adhered *to its previous decision. I Exception was taken to the tone of the i letter, which one speaker characterised as C j insolent, and reference was made to the . Army's competition with prison labour in t the laundry ami mat tr&clea- , — ■ ■^T^T" — —