TRAMWAYMEN'S DEMANDS.

Taranaki Daily News, 4 March 1919, Page 6

TRAMWAYMEN'S DEMANDS.

At last night's meeting of the New Plymouth Borough Council, Cr. Clarke stated that the members of the Tramway Union had taken exception to his statement made the previous week, that "it was a deliberate) lie for anyone to say that the council had repeatedly turned down the men's application for a Is 4d' per-hour minimum wage" He then set forth again the progress of the negotiations between the men and the tramways committee, and stated that the whole different between the committe and the men was that the union treated each part of the negotiations which took place between February 1 and February 20 as be' ing a separate application, and each lettel from the manager as a separate turningdown of their request; whereas the committee regarded the negotiations as one transaction. This being so, Cr. Clarke said, and the words in question being used in good faith he did not now believe the statement to have been a deliberate lie for the purpose of misleading the public. He was still of the opinion, however, that the words were a misstatement of the position. In view of the assurance:: or the representatives of the union he said he had no hesitation in substituting for the words "deliberate lie" the words "misstatement of the position to the public."