LYTTELTON CASUAL LABOURERS, UNION.

Press, Volume LXI, Issue 11876, 25 April 1904, Page 9

LYTTELTON CASUAL LABOURERS , UNION.

TO THE EDITOR 07 THE PBES3. Sir,—Would you kindly allow mc space in your valuable paper to fully endorse the remarks made by "Fair Play" in your issue of the 18th, regarding the methods and. workings of the Lytteiton Casual Railway Wharf Labourers' Union, and to publicly protest against the treatment that we outsiders are subjected to at the hands of this Union. As an illustration of how we are treated, let mc ask is it fair or just in the event of our getting work at discharging or loading a boat and we do not get her finished the same day, but have hopes of getting back to her the following morning; we go down to the place where labour is put on only to find that we have been replaced by Union men. who, perhaps have already earned £1, £2 or £3 for the week. I thank, sir, that any rightthinking or honest man will support my contention that once a man starts a job he should be allowed to finish it. But such is not the case, for no sooner do the Unionists finish one job than they are around the gate like a lot of hungry wolves, seekine to take the bread and butter out of toe mouths of their fellowmen. Again, sir, this Union was formed ,1 believe, for the benefit of tbe residents of Lytteiton. How is, it then that it consists of all trades, not mentioning sailors and firemen from all parts, and still people living in the place for years cannot get the slightest chance' of being elected, and I now publicly challenge the secretary or any member of this union to contradict my assertions if they are untrue. Are there no.means whereby this state of things can be altered, so that this Union would be compelled to take into its ranks deserving cases. Surely the railway authorities or the Government can do something in the matter to assist us outsiders. Hoping, sir, that some person more able than I am will take this mater up, and thrash it out so that we will get justice,—Yours, etc. _^ ANOTHER SUFFERER. TO THB EDITOB OF THR PBESS. Sir,—Being a member of the Railway Wharf Labourers' Union, I may state that I am quite in accord with the remarks made by your correspondent "Fair Play" in your issue of yesterday, for I think it Very unfair, and a disgraceful state of things, that any body of men should be vested, with power to bar.people belonging to tlie Port from becoming member* of our Union. In regard'to the big money that ia being made, and mentioned by your correspondent, I am sorry to say it is only too true in some eases. Some,of the members get the pick of the work, whilst other poor fellows have to take what they can get and be content. I, for one, would hail with delight the abolition of the Union altogether, when a man would then be. able to get work on his merits, or else that tlie Railway Department appoint a commission to enquire into the working of this Union, and the mode of putting on labour.—Yours, j etc., ; UNIONIST. ] TO THB KDITOB or THB PRES9. Sir, —With your kind permission 'like to make a few remarks in reply to j Mr Daniels's letter, appearing in your issue of yesterday, bat in future will treat with contempt anything he may have to say as President of the Railway Union, unless he writes in'an open straightforward manner, and does not throw dust in the eyes of the -public as to tbe working of the body of men that he represents. In the first place I do not think it wise at the present time to furnissa either Mr Daniels or the Union with my name, for having others depending on mc for the bread they eat, and knowing the nature of most of the members of thi* Union,, it would not suit mc at present to let them know who I am, but I can assure yon, Sir, they will know in good time who I anil, and all about mc, for my past career will bear the strictest investigation, for I have I never done anything that I am ashamed of, as Mr Daniels seems to insinuate in his letter of yesterday. ! If the Union are so anxious to treat all deserving cases with consideration and justice, how does it come that there is one man here who haw been trying to get into the Union for the last, three years, but is still an outsider, although a married man. Is this a sample of tlie justice that they wonld lead tbe public to believe they are willing to admini^-CT? For the information of Mr Daniels and his committee, I will tell him that there are men in his Union who are thoroughly capable of taking office, and who, I am sure, would bring the Society to a better state of perfection and working in every way, but they are that utterly disgusted with tbe whole affair that they decline to take any act or part whatever. In regard to the big pay being earned by some of the members, let the President publish the pay-sheet for tbe last three months, and leave the public to decide whether I am right or wrong, or if tbafc is too big a contract, let him furnish us with tlie earnings of the men from last Friday up till to-night at midnight. If he will do this, I think the public will find that he is ono of those drawing the biggest, r.ot the smallest, pay, and although earning his living here, resides in another place. But Mr Daniels is only one of many of the Union doing the same thing, and still they claim to belong to the place. I da not deny that the Department are satisfied with pallors, firemen and foreigners, for the simple reason that they are only too glad at- times to employ one they can get to caity ot» the work. Sir. I hope you will publish this letter -n justice to myself, for I am quite prepared to substantiate all I have said. In conclusion, I will decline to answer ;.ny more letters in reference to thia matter, for it would only be a waste of time, for unless the Railway Department take* the matter up and makes some alterations t

in the working of this Union. I am afraid there is no hope for us outsiders, and all the writings in the will do no good. —Yours, etc., FAIR PLAY. THE DANISH FLAG. TO TUI EDITOR OF THE PKBSS. Sir, —A low mc in your paper to ask the two auctioneers who are uiing as their sign a red flag with a white cross (the Danish flag) to stop the use of it. The Danish flag is, so far as we know, the oldest emblem of any Kingdom, and history tells us that in a battle, which the Danes had with some other nation, when it looked very bkwk for the Danes, one of their priests went up on a hill and sent this tmbiem down between the fighters. When the Danes saw that, they believed it was a sign from Heaven, and took fresh courage and won the battle, 'ihes/e two gentU-nKtt who are using this flag, I am sure, don't do it to annoy anybody, but to my own knowledge it has been an eyesore to the Danes, and I hope they will take it in tiie .>pirit it, is meant, and stop the use of it. —Yours, etc., A DANE. SUING FOR SUBSCRIPTIONS. TO TOE EDITOB OF TITE I'BESS. Sir, —I liojk> you will give mc s.pace in your paper to set out shortly the lacis in connection with tbe action of the. committee of tho Christehurch Golf Club in collecting subscriptions by means of legal process from good sportsmen. This Club begins its financial year on tlie tirst of January, but play for the great majority of members br gin's, and the formal opening took place 1a.4 year, in April. A good few members sent in their resignations before the opening last year in April, not having played or thought of the game before, but were met by a reference to the beginning of the financial year, and subscriptions demanded. In my own ea.-e, aftvr resignation before April, the secretary wrote mc that the que.vtkm was referred to the committee, who gave no answer till August, after the championship and most active part of tho golf year was over. In August the committee replied, refusing to accept my resignation without subscription, and, finally, now have recovered the amount by issue of summons. I have talked the matter over with members of other sporting bodies, all of whom have agreed in my action refusing payment until no alternative remained but troubling our worthy Magistrate. I should like to know if the action of the committee is approved by .sportsmen, for, as one members who had suffered in a somewhat similar manner, remarked: "It takes an entrance fee to join, and one year's subscription to resign." I have been a member of the Christehurch Golf Club for a number of years, also cricket, football, athletics, and various sporting clubs for the last ten or fifteen years, but never heard of treatment of thLi kind before, which I do not think can he approved of by members of that body if known to them. I understand that this year some dozen members who resigned after beginning of financial year, but before playing or formal opening took place, were threatened with legal proceedings, while in my own case, the action of the committee kept mc off the ground some three or four months in tbe active season, resulting in my paying a subscription when I had nod been on tlie links during the year, thus not getting my moneys worth like a member who, I am told, let his house in town and lived on the links.— Yours, etc., W. CRANSTONE H. WIGLEY.