THE LABOUR REPRESENTATION COMMITTEE

Press, Volume LXXI, Issue 21506, 22 June 1935, Page 20

THE LABOUR REPRESENTATION COMMITTEE

lu ran EDiroa o? the prbsb. Sir,—The Labour' Representation Committee complains because the new City Council says it only aims at reducing the rates 10 per cent. Actually that was all it pledged itself to do. Why should the Labour Representation Committee object? It did not want any reductions in rates. The irony of the thing is that the Labour Representation Committee is controlled by local body employees, mostly by City Council and tramway employees. The president of it is a City Council employee. The new council has a difficult job in front of it. It pledged itself not to use money from the Municipal Electricity Department account, or from the quarries account. Last year the Labour party took £26,000 from the Municipal Electricity Department and £12,000 from the quarries, making a total of £38,000. The new council will have that much less to manage with. The local body employees, through their control of the Labour Representation Committee, controlled the City Council, and so put a stranglehold on the people by forcing the people to pay the council employees!, 10 per cent, above ruling rates for the next three years, 'ft is up to the new council to break that stranglehold. And the only way it ca;. be done is to let such works as gathering rubbish and cleaning streets, etc., be done by contract. A contractor would be under no obligation to pay 10 per cent, above ruling rates, and also he woulc be able to exercise more control and get better service from the men he employed than the City Council has been able to get for some years past. I would warn the new coun- ' cil not to be trapped into breaking its pledges not to raid the Municipal Electricity Department funds. If it does it will be used by the so-called Labour party for political purposes. The Labour Representation Committee does not represent the more thoughtful trade unionists. I doubt if there is a member of the Carpenters' Union connected with it. If there are any such they are local body employees.—Yours, etc., A.B. June 21, 1935.