THE IRON HAND.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3554, 5 July 1890, Page 2

THE IRON HAND.

(To the Editor.) Sir—l notice that in a sub-leader written by you yesterday, you blame " Wellington mischief-makers" as the cause of the present dissension between the farriers and their customers, You are right only to a certain extent. > Wellington was responsible for tho existence, of a Farriers' Union in the Wairarapa, but it was not the cause of the rise in prices, and it is the'latter which has led to the row. On the contrary, Mr Sexton, the delegate who came, warned thefirst meeting of farriers in earnest terms to be moderate'in their demands and not be exorbitant.' - He then quoted Wellington prices, which are a shilling a set lower all round than the new Wairarapa. prices. His caution was utterly disregarded, for he had hardly sat down, I am told, when one of ths master farriers rose and said lie considered- they were "entitled to ,a shilling more than Wellington 1" This view was eagerly taken up by the others present, who evidently thought they had oiily to demand to get, and now they liave' made it law j that is to say, it is binding upon them to maintain their scale, but whether ftiey will also rule the settlers remains to be seen, Without going into the question of whether such Unions are advisable or not, I have no hesitation in saying that if the farriers had been guided by tho Wellington , delegate and retained their old charges the Association might have been firmly established without dissent on the part of the publio. We are not at present thinking of running a co-operative shoeing forge in Carterton, for we have a man here who oan do our work at a reasonfcbjo price, ansdo it well too, and .'the latter qualification is not too GO$i))0j); Wo shall stick-to this man through thick and tbin whatever happen?, U is said that this tradesman'will be unable to get iron; that the Farriers Union will in fact boycott him with the merchants, Without anyopinion las to the truth or otherwise if this statement, I m&y aay that between us we 50u1.4 get him enough -iren to Ira build the Great Eastern if it were required without nt all being disconcerted by the. restrictive tactics of any Unloiv lam, &c. i , Horse-owneh. Criterion, Mb July, im,