CORRESPONDENCE

Bruce Herald, Volume XXX, Issue 3025, 6 January 1899, Page 5

CORRESPONDENCE

■ f: ''AJV&* free opinion is oi f^m™ are * always glad to- lnsejtt any' oorreßpoDaencp, fir not of a scurrilous nature. At the same- timeL we k db not identify' or *61d ouifcelvWre*Bi>bnflble foi: anything appea^s { un^his|>lu^^ j A WORD OF AD VICE TO UNIONISTS^, ITO Tttß EDITOBI Si;-'". o t Sib,— UnlonUt* . , would, do J^ell. ..j»e lore make themselves sure that their conve rsjav tlon U 1 not : bfeirig over nemfd^bvinj one who might nosreto; Hstejß.r A| faroalt lam obn^rned myipWJ do pot c*re to li.fa,n Joa oonvereation wh'oh ia' going on Jetweenftwtfr while I my«H htve^tb tU&i« *otend the,, corner. ' B»w%ver, <Mt^dltoK,i|ho Jjonvt m-j mh^oh tftoJf p|aoft,tt»: ) otj^f,«lß*^lM(|fW!B • yUUorand,* Uolonlat proved so Intereitlng that 1 for one oonid nbere.l»t the teni^H Uqn of" being * ittent Uiii*neV> to ithej lltt^e } dialogue which wa, gqln^ on betwixt ft iltbr and.Unionla^^iid.M 1 1 fl^tet btf having* veiy fair' memory, I will let yon? have it ai newV^poMMe worcTlof r>| - rovisitor: '^ Good, evening, •lr, good «ven,iDgi" ; „r ,-,!.,;;; ,; ?.{. \ i) ' .. •• [ ' ' Unionist: '.Good evening, air, tood/ ::■'. r. '-.s : '' ■ .'-il '! .. L .k i ! . .! '-t .. : T t .- evening j~"" '■"••'' Visitor i%» "There aeemajfcdj bej* lot of fioe ■taiwart f m«i abott^^^fto,;. I have; 1 been led to believe that miner* m a ruleleok pale and »aHow ?' ' ' j „,, Unionist : •Iv your opioion yoauaM not imirtak«n>'i ': v[mi->- ■.• ■ j Visitor : • How then do yon account for Bo many of the«e men looking to well f j Unionist: «X)h» thete are our unemployed.' . > | Visitor: .'I thought there were) no unemployed about KaiUngata, bui I >upr pose that will aoobunt for the men looking io welL How long is It »lnoe they have : been unemployed »' i ' , I Unionist : * Some of them have been unemployed this four months past,' j Visitor : * Surely y ou r must, be mistaken !' UnTonlst: • No, what ,1 am saying is quite oorreot.' \ Visitor : ' Are you onti of the unemployed V Unionist: lam, sir.' Visitor : ' How long have you been about KsltangaUt' I Unionist i ' I was emf loyed here shortly after the. explosion.' . Visitor : 'Oh yes, I remember that was b dreadful oatastrophe. If what you say i§oorreot you are a very old employee, Ihow does it oome that you are amongst i the unemployed ?' ■ - - ! Unionist : * You have asked me a question which would be very difficult for me to answer. Ail the Information I can give you is that some months paßt I was tola by, the manager that my place was, finis led, and there would be notbiag for me till inch time as trade revived. 1 f VUitor: • Strange aflf*lr altogether jthat the Company should act In each a manner. I have heard of companies whidh<glve some of their old employees pensions,' . t Uuionist: ' V«, so have I, but j the Kaitangata Company has differed from them inasmuoh as they V »ye chosen to plaoe these little letters^ sus) before the pension wbich makes a wonderful difference, and I hav c been a recipient of their «as-pen*ion scheme for seme time, but not of their pension. 1 Visitor : ' Do I nnderstabd you to say you have been (suspended V. Unionist: 'Yes.' Visitor : ' You must have been misbehaving yourself ?' j Unionist: ' Do you call joining a Union misbehaving yourself ?" ; Visitor : ' No, by . no means ; I understand It is quite legitimate, and that there i a Conciliation and Arbitration Aot In force In New Zealand." - Unionist : ' I used to believe so to." j Visitor: * Then why not lay you' grievances before the Conciliation Board. 1 "'■ Unionist : 'We did try, but some how or' other the Company got lost, and the members of the Bond wore informed that ttfere was actually fno Company in. New Zealand.' < Visitor: 'I believe I remember reading something in connection with that little affair in one of the daily papers.' ' Unionist s ' I suppose you would also read that Mr Vf. P.' Watson was only doing a little r business for the liquidators.' - ■ Visitor i ' Yes, and now I come to. recollect 1 am surprised to find that there j are suspended men going about Kaitangata because rnmor bad It in Dnnedln that; the management bad placed notices in Convenient places about the works informing employees I! they had any grievance to-oall at the Ciffice nnd they would be attended, to.' Unionist : ' Yes, I believe that Mr Watson came up here on one occasion with papers for the men to sign and, the men were Informed by the deputies that they had to call at the office, and those that did so were surprised to fiod that- Mr W. P. Watson was there and that he bad brought papers for them to sign. and. I have heard some of them say that be Bejemed awfully wild i#hen they refused to sign." < • Visitor: 'Perhaps that was some of the little business ?' Unionist : • Yeo, I expect so but I think it ought to Btrike the . public as a jrery, strange thing that eoch a generous Company as the Kaitangata Company reckon t^emtelves to be should be afraid to meet these employees' in the Conciliation Board: if they had nothing to be afraid of I think It would have paid them to have gone on with the case, and saved Mr W. P. Watson tho unnecessary trouble of trying to do away with.our Union.' , j .. Mr Editor, I think I have Bald sufficient for the present and will let.you have a more, of this dialogue sometime in] the future.— l am,40., ' The Man Round The Coenbb. Kaitangata, 4/1/99. |