THREE THOUSAND!

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 58, 31 May 1927, Page 13

THREE THOUSAND!

THEY ALL WANT JOBS TRAMWAYS DILEMMA “We have 3,000 applications on hand, why encourage these men?” This remark was made by Mr. A. E. Ford, manager o£ the Auckland Tramways, when he was shown a copy of a letter addressed to the Editor of THE SUN. "Applications come to us in shoals,” continued Mr. Ford. “We have never yet refused a man an application form.” He then produced files of the applications and asked the newspaper representative to inspect them. Each application is kept on a file, and then the names of the men are placed alphabetically in a book. There were pages of names beginning with “A,” pages beginning with “B” and so on through the book. Against those who had been given employment the work and word “engaged” was written. “ The only preference we have given has been to married men who served with the New Zealand Expeditionary Force at the war," Mr. Ford remarked in answer to questions regarding alleged preference. Applications have been filed over a number of years. Mr. Ford said that it would be foolish to remove the notice from the entrance to the tramway offices with so many applications on hand. “We do not deliberately refuse the men, but we have so many asking for work that we cannot possibly place them.” LETTER TO THE SUN Here is the letter which .was referred to Mr. Ford: Sir,— May I crave space in your paper to 'voice my appreciation of the action of the New Zealand Natives Association in protesting to the city council agamst the fact that for years past the Tramway Department has advertised on a board in the entrance to its office that No Men Were Wanted In the report of the Tramways manager on this question, he states that any man could file an application for employment. Might he not have added the words, “If he is lucky enough or clever enough to get a form to fill in.” In my own case a few months ago, I had no easy task in inducing the traffic manager to give me one. He held out for fit least 15 minutes. Our worthy public servant further states that they have at present 2,000 or 3,000 applications in from which positions are filled in order of priority. Now this is really hard to believe, when there are few of us who are not acquainted with at least one or more who put in applications two and even three years ago, and have had- no replies yet. And in this past 12 months regular tramway passengers have seen many a strange face beneath our tram troubadours’ caps, and have heard quite a few voices asking for fares in accents which loudly proclaim that their owners were not reared in God’s own country. Not forgetting the fact that these same men are as good as and even, perhaps, better than some here, I would like to remind some people that “Charity begins at home ” ADSPRO.