LABOR AGITATORS EXPOSED.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 104, 31 May 1909, Page 3

LABOR AGITATORS EXPOSED.

To tile Editor. Sir,-While realising your lender uf ■the 2li,isist.. aimed at fairness, it remains an established (apt that ci'i-tnhi licts then, ami even ,vet. Sub judice, rendered vouv article extremely unfair. The artiWp i<u question says: "Our memory fails to reveal a more glaring instance oi unwarrantable interference 'will imUi.-j'Ulial peace." While writing, 1 have before me letters, telegrams anil ■ballot-papM-d from those who, alt** pleading with my union to accept them in membership and to govern them from 'Auckland, and subsequently, requesting lis to cite their employers, both personally, on the Httli ultimo, as Mr. Mask ditl in a special meeting in Auckland, culled at liis request—and with which fact, I believe, his comrades at tho abattoirs were not cognisant—and sunsequent to which the abattoir employees attended two special meetings of theiir branch here, wliei)' they voted to ei'te their employers in the TaranaJii indiiwrial district, and, at the latter special meeting handed in the ballot-papers confirming that resolution, which bal-lot-papers a,re before me while writing. All that has been done by mv union has' been, done in a dean, fair and businesslike spirit and manner, at the request of t,lu> Xow Plymouth and Waitara. biuneheis thereof. There were reasons for not ostablfelling this fact by evidence when tho Council sat oil Tuesday, . tie 25th in>.t.. which ?t wa-s consideivd ( unwise 'to make public at that juncture, 1 expecting, as we certainly did, to revolt to the Council for re-hoaring portions' of our claims, which, fortunately, since thait date have been amicably and pleasantly settled iji conferences. Had It been otherwise, as expected, those responsible for the unfortunate and disgraceful betrayal—those whom we were brought here to- assiist —would have been again put upon oath, t'hte true position would have been made clear, and the rightful backs would have had to bear tlic burden, while my colleagues a.ml myself nnay hare esWaped the philanthropic dubbing in your columns as paid agitators, drones, loafers and nilposters, whose arduous daily toil here, certainly, never deserved su<fli unwar- 1 ranted epithets, which epithets, also, proclaim your columns as anything but broad and fair-mihded or public-spirited. On the ruling of the Oominis&foner in summing up on the 25th inst. your attack was unwarranted, uncalled for, and distinctly contrary to sue.h ruling, which was as follows:—"The unfortunate part -

of the business was that the Waitara branch should have relegated the whole business to Auckland." He did not think the Auckland branch had any desire at the outset to create a dispute. He believetf that the Ibranch here asked them to do certain things, and they did it, believing they were acting in the beat rntevekts of "the workers." Truth will always prevail, and time-will Ml' the truthful state of affairs It 'may interest you, Mr. Editor, to hear 'that the paid agitator of your article ''toes his union work- as a labor of love, iind that a worker in- his trade, I can fearlessly challenge the Dominion to And me a mi-.ni who works harder, while 'my three colleagues' are hard-workino-'men m the trade, who command pro"'found respect from aJI who know then, lhey have been cruelly betrayed by a snake in the grass and villincd bv vou, •which is ungentlemanly, unfair and'unworthy oif the columns of a (paper of 'your ca-liilH-c. AYe have the sympathy of the Commissioner, the employers' representatives, arid the employers them'sftlvcs. by whom we have been right royally treated, and right here I would crave your indulgence to thank them sincerely for the very courteous, fair and gentlemanly reception they have extended to us. This I would a* his AYorshm the Mayor, the town clerk, aJfio Mr. Willis (of the Labor Department), to accept as applying to them also, as a mark of gratitude and sincere wiree-iatior, by my union. We welcome fearless. criticism, but let there be no partisan cahvnuiy or abuses. Beat us fairlv, and w'e cm conic up smiling for the rest. TQiankiiw you, in anticipation, 7 am, etc F. R. BUST, Sec. Auckland Slaughtermen's Industrial Union of Workers *cw Plymouth, May 30.