RAILWAY GRIEVANCES.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVIII, Issue 81917, 6 February 1907, Page 3

RAILWAY GRIEVANCES.

(.'Ml'* I'KOM Jilt lIOIiN.-jJSY'S IsI'EEUU. "What tin wo want this niuiu'v for': A strike fund Why, we'll never liuvc 11 strike: and even if we tliil what would lie the use of tile few paltry thousands of tile A.fcUt.S.V They o disappear like snow on si fence on a hoi summer's day. Quotations. "If yon want people to listen to you, you must keep Ma hammer, hammer. Hammer, all tintime, if you want to do anything [or Hie people of a country you mils, agitate, agitato, agitate. ' 'That is the panacea for every soeial evil."

I make pergonal enuuirv. I don't tru»i to hearsay. And 'when 1 am eonviuceil that t'here is grievance there is no power in the House, or in the Executive, that can prevent my venli tin); it, and getting redress if'that is possible. The time is not far distant when we will compel the (.loveriiinent to give preference to unionists. We must have il soun.r or later. Thijfk .over die'' matter good nnfi hard. JJoiit jump at it like a trout at a lly. You're apt to get tiie hook in your gilis if you do. The man who says to you that you ought 10 be satislied is your worst enemy. Never he satislicd until you have"broughl about a state ~,f tlii'ngs wnieh will give back to the men who produce it a part of the wealth they create.

1 can't ask you to read all tlcial'ar liaiiientarv debates. Tlicyi'e not very cMilViiig. 'is'.aictiiikV. lint keep the division lists, and mark those who vide for von. and those again-l you. Especially" note those who d">.i'l vote at ail. And when tliev know you are keepimr I he li.-ts. you will be surprised 1„ a,aire '.he increased interest in the liailwin I'Mimalo-. Al present !1 oi 111 men slick ... them, and bailie tree, (hroiudi. The "dicis, as > as the Railway Estimate, c down. make for the lobbies, and smoke and play cards, a>id d and anathe malis.. the railway voles and the -railway member,-." as tney call ns. Yet 'some of .hose men would not be there, but for the railway vote-.

l'ui not a great -ticker lor appearances, but I believe a man 11111-1 repee; himself before he can gel die resr.pect of others. Anil if we don't give a man die opportunity lore-poet him-olf. wiiat sort of a sample will we get in after years '.' We pride ourselves on our democracy, yet We allow die (!<> veriiment of I In- country to make a distinction betwvii the lirst and vecond divisions of the. railway service. The man who lias given :)(> or 40 years to the service as a duver <U' • •ua'ril. and his sou. a cadet of a fe\. years' standing, may i-'et Hi ir holidays together. The boy goes into a lirst class carriage, but his old dad's ••privilcee" only untitles him to a second.' That's an insult to 'ids inlelI ligenee, and 'to bis inspect. It is u wrong princijile.

It Wilt- said Uiiit some moii bad a-! bused the "privilege of travi-l.iiiy ■ liist clas- free. A privilege! It ls tiu.il right, as a suit, of compensation for llii'ir oxu-a work.—work I'm' winch thov would get double pay if under tlir' Arbitration and Conciliation laws. ... I have -.'l'll i»'i>l>lu in tl»' m ' s '" class who oii-hl to bo in !M''l.- and -ood iioii;.-! folk packed in Hi'' second class like herrings ill a band. And it is Hi., second chws U-allic that pays for our i-u'iUmm

\ n .| what wa> llii.' miscouducl lor which tin- whole ■-'■■l'vicc was tlius punished? Well, tli'iv »a- one man tiaNcllmg IiVT-l class on .-privilege/' and he r«h..i| a -Trillin,." stove, made cups ol tea and sold teem ill sixpence a time to hi. fcl!ow-pas>e„g.rs. Another <>f fence wa- eonuniUed In three or lour vouir. fellow., who boarded a bml-L-il.a- wii-ii bottle-,. Aiial they got men-v. And wing through a railway Viiril' thev waved their anus and at trade)! ih<. local railway imai; who also nunc across and had a heer. And it is for these liltle things that the w'nole service has to snll'er. In America. Hie lind of trust, and combine., ami millionaires, employers Innca wa v ol treat mg employees that we niHit'wcli follow. . . An Otago man. who w.-'.it to America to study eleclrieiiv. wa.-, surprised that he saw „„ - W orki„.. „,.•,." wing in and .ml of the I,in works, lie found that the welldressed men, diced like you and I. were the workers. When ('hey got iir side the work.- U- - '■ ■ '■■ IV Jacobin", rooms, an »-il tnoir factory suits. Al knock oil' time, they "went to bathrooms, of which there wore scores, anil presently omcrgcil oh the street, dressed like the rest of their fellows. That in America' Here, we nave workmen's trains, and' workmen's trains, so that no one „-il| l„. contanii.ia.ed hv silting along: -hie the worker. Thai's the way v {cadi our n I'm- dignity of labour! We heap all tli' indignity we can upon, them!

Nil iii-i-il (.1 s-.-ii.l a liiiwr-l'i'hil expert i" Cross Creek. Vim litnl tinnerprint- Mil mor (he slm].. And lawprints «,:, tin- pillow, or ll„. ■sheet. The Mill Mil' duo.-:. - ! like 11"' -irni-hi why I I ilk i<: ''lii':-. lli'M p,wVr Him I I should put I lie jjl'iev ■luces in urilhi". And I'm piins; 1" ~„ it. Mini k.vp mi duin- il. until In' »,:. ;, Mca.laol.o .111 sl.Mliacliacl.c. I.l' smni'thin- else thai will nuke liini think.

If there is anv -"nice in tin- world wlioiv mi'ii oimiil to 1m sdrictlv temperate, or I'lt'.il ahstaincrs. it is tin: rni'way .c.viee. You In.v.'' i..inuy,uV of lives, i.ml your own. in you.' In" n'.'-'n. wiiil-,1 ..n duly. I will a-k nil, tli- 'vi.nnii in™ to nu'liniliorit-iiMv P nn. i„ lln-irliniloru, nip-, aye. nn.l in their ordinary lulls, ill*- words "Don't ox coi'il.'' If ynii ui'vcr 'd.'ink any at n'l. you will l)i' all the bettor for it. T'm a world, worn man, anil T know what I'm talking about.

The compilation of the ]).'! reminds n.c of wl.cn 1 was a, little boy. s'nu can remember the presents giwifn to

till mugs "fiir a good boy and "for a guml giri." And you rcincinb'r it was generally tlie sneak of the i'ami l\- who got tiie mug, and file mugs got all the stick. The Appeal Hoard i, a mockery. a-. a huniUtig. It doesn't, inalter what decision the Hoard conies t:n, tlie manager takes no notice, for there's no law to compel him to. Fancy a judge in a murder ease saving to Hi - jim that had found a iiiiiii""n<it guiilv." "I; doesn't matter wlinl you say, I'm going to hang him all ' the same' Tiiore are all sorts of nasty litl/e ineannesscs perpeirated lo keep a 'man' from lilpf promotion lie 'fa's earned, lie is punished for the .stand lie takes and for tiie opinions he »x----presses.