RATS.

Alexandra Herald and Central Otago Gazette, Issue 360, 2 April 1903, Page 5

RATS.

TO THE EDITOR. Sib.—This time " Breadwinner" takes off bis mark and heads his epistle straight—" Reduction of Dredgemen's Wages." Evidently the : rat - trick brought him off his eggs—not a whimper out of him now about the Cooperative store. He dropped that like a hot spud in his eagerness to get it off his chest that his real object in writing was the reduction of dredgemen's wages. "Breadwinner's" original statement was—" Wages are soon to come down, fitters 10s, winchmen 9s, firemen Bs." I asked him how he figured it out, and still await his answer. I don't want him to tell me what a gentleman told him in Dunedin. In tfct Sats!««• t fern** «btt»ftt«t

that "Breadwinner" would know a gentleman if he saw one, even with the naked eye. Secondly, the tale is too thin. Those connected with the Dredgeowner's Association know well that our Union will go bung when the industry goes bung—not before. The reason is palpable. A dead person could almost feel it. It doesn't pay Us to let- the Union go bung. .We Know as well, as "Breadwinner ";that i£ we lower our flag wages will lower also. The Union has been built expressly to prevent a reduction of wages.; Obviously " Breadwinner" is talking through his neck. Anyone looking squarely at his statement, " wages are soon to come down," can see at a glance that his assertion does not possess the chest measurement of a red herring. A reduction of Is per shift, means for one man 6s per week, ,£1 4s per month, £l4 8s for 12 months. For 800 men, £4O per day, £240 per week, £960 per month, £11,520 for 12 months, allowing four weeks in the year for lost time, sickness, Ac, probably not an unfair all round average. When " Breadwinner" says " wages are soon coming down" he .means that the dredgemen of Otago and Southland are voluntarilly going to sling away over £II,OOO per year. This man is mad—l should not like him to bite the calf of my leg. Alas for human hopes and aspirations. Ere the Union goes bung, " Breadwinner " and all his tribe will have gone to the "never never," or break the world's record, and live to be older than Methuselah. " Bread-, winner's " last word is his truest and best. We are going to-get beans; that is our object. But" Breadwinner " intends this as a menace. He might just as well keep his childish, impotent threats to himself. If it comes to a question of that sort we can beat him easily—no trouble. We can give him "pepper" for his rats and beans.—l am, <fec, J. H. Davidson. -