CORRESPONDENCE.

Taranaki Daily News, 5 February 1917, Page 6

CORRESPONDENCE.

THE WATERSIDE TROUBLE,

To the Editor\ Sir,—With your kind permission, I would like to tell the public the other side of the story re the above trouble. The employers' statement is very misleading and exaggerated. The previous agreement was amicably made at a conference of .both parties. The watersidcrs when> this agreement expired desired to at once meet the employers in conference with a view to having a new agreement made. The cost of living during the last twelve months has gone up by leaps and bounds, and will probably continue more rapidly to ascend during the ensuing twelve months. The profiteer and others of that kidney are having a great innings without let or hindrance to their exploitation of the people. Such being the case, nat%rally the watcrsiders had to ask for an increase of wages, but were prepared and anxious to meet the employers in a reasonable give-and-take mood, so as (o arrive at a peaceful and amicable settlement so necessary in the present critical times. The conference 'was io have taken place on or about January 8, but owing to the dilly-dallying of the employers the conference did not take place until January 25. The workers, under the distinct understanding with the employers that everything was to be strictly confidential, placed their cards on the tabic re their demands for wages and conditions, etcj, and put up a strong case for their siflo in a logical, temperate manner, pud were warmly complimented for this by Mr. Daniels, the chairman of the conference, and wlio is also chairman of the Wellington Harbor Board. The employers and workers then agreed, if they arrived at an agreement, .to refer it to their respective sides for approval, and then adjourned until the following day. Xow comes the strangely surprising conduct of the employers. When the conference again met tlie employers abruptly refused to attempt to come to an understanding, and said they would refer the matter to the Arbitration Court. The workers said that from long and bitter . experience they had no hope of justice from that Court, and pointed out the : grossly unjust decision, absolutely against the weight of evidence, in the late drivers' dispute. This decision caused universal disgust throughout the Dominion, and it became necessary for 'I n Cabinet Minister to interfere and girc | tlie drivers some small measure of jus- \ tke, thus further lowering the Court in | the eyes of the workers and general i public. The workers further pdinited I out that the action of the employers was anything but manly in putting the watersiders' delegates to the expense and loss of time, ete., of coming to Wellington from all parts of the Dominion on a fool's errand. They (the ■ workers) were sincerely desirous to sottie the matter over the table and avoid raising trouble in the present critical time, but the arbitrary and unreasonable action .of the employers prevented this, so on the. employers' shoulders should rest the blame of whatever evil consequences that might arise from their arbitrary action This is a straight and simple account of what actually oeurred at the conference. The employers' Action in since giving the press to print for publicity the demands of the workers re wages and conditions is without doubt a eUrim; breach of confidence, and comment thoreo- i.: ueecMass.' but ><"iy be surprised? Are those not the sam« honorable folkwho without asking anyone's oeroiuiiiimi nut top'"the! shipping

freights in such an abnormal manner as to take from the farmer? and public millions? It is a remarkable fact that in this case they did not ask the public press to print how much they were exploiting the farmers and public. The shipowners are par excellence direct actionals. They do net like the poor, toiling waterside worker to go humbly, hat. in hand, asking, like Oliver Twist, for more, Oh, no! That is not thei.' style. Their style some short time ago fairly galvanised some of our leading conservative reactionary farmers into cabling to our tourist Premier asking for a State socialistic steamship service, a'so pointii, out that they (the farmers) had saiey the shipowners in 1913, and no'w tire shipping companies were in gratitude putting tiie strangle-hold on them! The intelligent farmer and waterside worker, with their past experience of the shipowners' peculiar and unscrupulous methods of attaining their own selfish ends, are now, I think, sadder but much .wiser men. —I am, etc., WM. H. I'ITXfATRICK. New Plymouth, February 1.

THE LIQUOR BUSINESS. ' To the Editor, Sir, — On reading your paper this morning I smiled almost audibly wher I was reading the account of the Waitara S.M. Court proceedings in relation to several alleged breaches of the law What made me smile was the remark of the S.M. in the Ok.au case, where he said there should be licensed houses in these places, so that they could be under supervision, and right alongside the column in which this appears are case after ease in Wnitara of alleged breaches of the law, some proven, cithers get the benefit of the doubt (or, rather the smell, as it was evident that the smell was not sufficient evidence). Now, I thought Waitara was under the supervision that is supposed to be efficient in such eases, 'viz., that of the police, and I presume that is what the S.M. meant In the absence of the police, who is to supervise the business in Okau? Or are the taxpayers of this country to be. further taxed to have a policeman to supervise every pub. in the country? Oh!

■"ic searea=.in of the whole tiling! AVaitara witli all its supervision cannot keep the law-breaking business in order and yet it is suggested to give Okaft a pub., and then, presumably, a policeman, so us to have the supervision as ofTcetive as it is in Wailara, where evidently it if an utter failure in keeping things straight. Then the defence set up for the poor innocents! The sanie gag every time—''So sorry, the first time, ami will lm the last." My observation has been that people usually are sorry when they are caught, and yet Ave continue to play with the whole demoralising business, instead of dealing with it in a sensible way and wiping it out altogether—l am,'etc., CRITIC.

THE REMEDY. To the Editor. S'r, —j n t|,j s morning's paper your repeat, in your report of the Waitara S..M. Court proceedings, the old argument: Licensed houses are needed to keep down sly-grog selling. In a parallel column to that statement is. a report of sundry other liquor cases at Waitara, showing that there is an abundance of sly-grog selling in that town, even though there are three licensed houses 'under proper supervision.'' It is equally sly-grog whether sold out of hours or to prohibited persons by the licensee of the Masonic Hotel, or by tlutt '"highly respected" farmer in Okau.' The argument that licenses are needed to cure sly-grog selling is on a par with the argument that bars should be open on Sundays, because drinkers (moderates, of course) will get what they crave even though it be by a breach of the law. In no other matter is it proposed to license what is regarded as an evil because men break through the legal restrictions. It happens that I have just to' hands some American papers, and there I notice how they deal with a similar class of offenders. In Marquette, Michigan, on December IS, 33 sly-groggers were 'before the Court for sentence: and they were fined in the aggregate 6093 dollars. The highest fine was 400 dollars, with other expenses, | 233 dollars, added thereto. Where there is a will there is a way may be true of the determined sly-grogger; but it may be equally true of our police authorities, from the 'head official to the lowest. ]3ub the people of Michigan do not regard licensing the trade as the right, or satisfa jry solution of the problem, even though heavy fines are inflicted for breaches of the law. They have already determined on another plan, and that is State-wide prohibition. The above-mentioned cases are just attempts at restriction until the prohibition comes into force. That is the only remedy, and that is a remedy May 1 quote bore in conclusion the text of the Bill now before Congress: "The sale, manufacture foi sale, transportation for sale, importation for sale of intoxicating liquors for beverage purposes in the United States and all territory subject to the jurisdiction thereof and exportation thereof are for ever prohibited."—l am, etc., GEO. 11. MAUNDER. New Fly mouth, February 1.