LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 169, 10 April 1908, Page 5

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.

"A CODLESS ATMOSPHERE," Sir, —Everyone has not tho exalted opinions of the Dominion and its educational system which your English contemporary seems to have. A gentleman who lived in this city has just left the Dominion becauso ho did not wish his children to bo brought up in such a' .godless atmosphere. ' He had a very, good position here, and was,. I think, the stamp of settler which the Dominion greatly needs. This is not an isolated case,; and is merely mentioned, as showing tho extreme lengths to which a conscientious parent may be driven under our boasted system.—l am,- etc., PERTURBED. : April 8. ' ' ', THE FIRE IN COOK STRAIT. Sir, —It would bo interesting to. know from your correspondent which hill top tho sign val- ; man of Farewell Spit should get-on to-view tho firo from the funnels of tho s.s. Maori in crossing tho Strait. I have an idea that this writer should study his ;maps before rushing into print. To. say the. least,. it makes him look, ridiculous.—l 'am, etc., ONE WHO KNOWS FAREWELLSPIT. April ,8., ' " ' THE COST OF LIVING, ETC. V Sir, —A correspondent of yours has afforded an illustration that love can sometimes live on 3s. 1 yd: a week, but it, will" require. a judicious spreading of butter, sifting of cinders, and a careful saving of potato parings (dried) for firing to make it work. ' Also a kottle of water thrown on a! spoorifulli of tea, to make it go further. But speaking seriously, if our purses are little' our .necessities are large, and. though I do not wish to tread on your correspondent's corns, I cannot help feeling where the shoo pinches. • When wb remember how necessary food is to growth and work, and, so long as we.'continue to-grow, act, think, speak, .work or perform any other' function demanding ; a supply of energy tho body will require a constant supply of. food. Science teaches-, us that.the natural life owes all to environment, provision for all capacities, scopo for tho oxerciso of overy faculty, room for tho indulgence of each' appetite, a just supply for every want.—l am, etc., '• '' .■■ ■: .t ■ ' NEMO. Picton, April 7. - • . ' v -• ) • ■ '.' Sir, —I'm afraid your correspondent " Economic " is a- long way out. ro the cost ot living; and .'if his or her ideas were, adopted tho ; undertaker would be working overtime, and .there would be a great crowd of. candidates . for limited apartments ■in thb • cemeteries. However, I am not in print to discuss the matter, but to bring a matter before the public that is'equally as, important. . . The cost of living in a boardinghouse runs from £1 ppi- week up to various sums."Well, I-call it living in order'to apply a name to it.. ' Why! : there',,are , boardinghouses, : both public and private, in the Dominion that are a disgrace to;the country, whero you see such evidenco of; dirt and meanness, and . where tho.food m many.cases is not fit to offer to.a . civilised being, arid yet tho public are charged a fair-prico as regards tariff; Sonie of these alleged boardinghou'ses are disgusting, and it'.is high-time that a'boardinghousb Is;con-i ducted: on similar lines to.an' hotel, viz., if not conducted on fair'aniOqiiare- lines, andthe' public treated in a fair . mariner, • bo put out of the business, and let'someone run it who- knows how to. -'Boniface is watched and hunted : in -the sale■ of liquor, and 'tho conduct of.:his house; but, give him his due, ho;docs put 'a, decent meal on in' the average case.'' Biit .it-is too . public to reside .at"an hotel for tlio' ; average person., Certainly, some places are air right; but there; is a large amount of room ■for improvement <in a-good many.' Hundreds' beside myself know ' this, and why not appoint' Government;officials'.to keep them up'-to the mark, arid make them stay up to tho mark, or get out of the business p.. At,present, it is simply, false,pretences, and the riiost unfair treatment; that the public has to contend with.- Dead dies-in the milk jugs, and ditto: in' the sugarj' and • tho -.food down at zero as regards -quality, and paying top ' price; too. v Ugh! Sad is ofteh the -lot of . the bbardinghqusc resident. \ I hope' these lines will- do come good, but it's about time .'Something'was done.r-I am,-etc., 1 ' ; ARTHUR PICARD. New'Plymouth,-April 8, 1908.' ,'■• -, PAID SECRETARIES OF TRADE UNIONS. Sir,—ln. roply to tho person' subscribing himself ";A Bloated Capitalist" in' your issuo of to-day, and for tho information'of: those interested in tho subject, kindly, permit mo to remark' that, at a "general meeting of the Tramways: Employees'. ;Union held on Sunday last, a vote of confidence in'my-: self, as secretary of- the Union,-was, carried by 50 votes to 3; a majority,.sufficiently largoenough to , cook a .Picton-;. -bloater,;.'.let.. Alone 'a.bloated capitalist; arid also of suiOSflient dimensions to assist ono in'locating the latitude, and longitude ,of members' opinions regarding the. Minister , for Labour's clause in the,' Arbitration Act Amendment Bill of last session, that. "Aj Bloated Capitalist'' is, evidently, sacrificing liis optic organs, to find the. whereabouts, of.The Trariiways Union was formed iri-. August of .1904,' and up to ztlio ftrescnt has never boon before tho Conciliation Board or Arbitration Court, except for one. small interpretation, . consequently/ the sailor-secretary has never had. tho. opportunity to waste the time of tho Court .regarding this Union.—l am',-etc.,. .; -■ .W. T. YOUNG, Secretary Tramways Union.. April 9, 1903; .- • ■ tramv/ay Employees' swaces. ■ Sir,—ln answer to the; article, that was published in your paper of tho 6th,'inst., headed, '" Our Tramways,", will you kindly publish the following, in justice to conductors ! arid motormon ; of . tlie city ? , Tho article reI ferred to gives a -roturn showing amount, of I' wages paid toi Wellington tramway oriiployees, under tho present agreement, and over and above that paid, under the D.unedin and , Auckland awards. Tho roturn • informs us j that the motormen of Wellington earn £3 6s.' 9d. per week,'Dunedin motormen', £2 19s. lid.,.a difference of '6 s. lOd. ...Wellington' conductors. £2 17s. Bd., Dunedin conductors £2' lls. 8d;, a difference of Gs. The same dif- ' ference, according; to. tho ,return published, applies to Auckland/ .c, Now, sir, in Auckland arid Dunediri a man can keep his family far cheaper than lie can in Wellington. House rent, for".instance,'is' far cheaper, and that)jn. itself is a .big item. In Auckland and Dunedin a house, can be .rented in a decent and - central locality for between 12s. and 15s; per -week. In Wellington one cannot be rented . under £1 or 255., arid other necessary things arc far cheaper tin Auckland and Dunedin. I havo lived in tho northern city for nearly four years, and I also lived in Dunediri for a short time; therefore I should bo, able to judge, and my opinion is that the motormen and conductors of Dunedin and Auckland are far hotter off than'tho motornien and conductors of Wellington. I would also liko to point out : to you that ,there are different grades of 1 motormen and conductors in Wellington first-class arid second-class. ,'First-class motormon are paid Is. 1-Jd. per hour: secondclass do., Is.'ld;, conductors, first-class Is. second-class llkl.; so .that the first-class men must earn moro than the second-class men But the return as .published classes all motormen alike'and conductors alike, so'that it is very misleading". : I would also like to point-out to you, sir the hours and under wuat circumstances tho men cam what tlioy"are paid. We will tako the, second-class- conductors, who':aro: the ' worst-paid men in the servico. Any ordinary labourers are paid from Is. to Is 3d. per hour for 48 hours per week; which means the Is. : per hour labourer earns £2 Bs. por week! ' Now, second-class conductors have to work two hours more to make the above-stated sum, and to make up the sum (£2 17s. Bd.) stated in No. 1 return, lie would have to work 60 hours por week: That is not saying 7 anything about the labourer who is paid Is. 3d. per hour for the 48 hours per week. TJie hours and meal reliefs (20 minutes) aro very irregular, and the work very tiresome,

not counting what thoy have to put up wit} from a'certain'section of the public. ' As regards shortages, it was stated they , are caused through conductors borrowing money out of tho' Jjag.; N.ow, .sir, in the first' place, I think it was a very improper tiling to bo made public.' A conductor at times may borrow a shilling or two in the-fortnight : / from his'bag, which has to bo paid back on ' ; pay-day, but that is not carried on to any ' great extent. Tho'main cause of shortages . is the faulty way in which tho boxes, aro , made up and the loss of tickets. Certainly ; 1 a conductor is allowed 15 minutes to check his box, but very often a box is handed to him and no time allowed, to _ check- it, and that very same box may be short of a packet of tickets, which means a block of pennies (Bs. 4d.) or perhaps a block of twopennies (10s. Sd.). What I mean is, tho box may only contain, say, 20 block's of tickets, but the waybill which accompanies the box Will show 21 blocks; thus a'block of tickets will ■ : " [ have to'bc paid for out of tlie conductor's; pockct through'tlie carelessness of those who; make the boxes up; or he might-by somo -cause.: or other loso some tickets. Then, again, on dark or wet nights ho is liable . to give away more tickets than ho is paid ;• for;.in alLcases he has to make thedeficieufcy, > ; good. That, sir, is the main cause of short- ~' ages, and not borrowing from the -bag. Then, ' again,' conductors have surpluses, but,they are not credited to them. -Hero is an in- '-. stance: On'many occasions thoy have to taka ' '■/ out two boxes. If they pay, say,.2s. over on ono box, and happen to be short on the other,-. they have to pay on the one short and are not credited with tho 2s. over, which I think is very unfair. . ■ /. . .. • Tho statement that conductors are not suspended is absolutely untrue.. It was only last week a number of conductors wete, suspended until they reduced their shortages, and one of those who '.were suspended '.never owed - half the amouiit wliiclr they had! against him, but he was, suspended until he (after loss of time) convinced tho management that - lie did not, owe the money.' Again, conduc- ■ tors are sometimes suspended through re■porta coming in from some of tho public,who may bo, suffering from liver complaint, : and may imagine that they have been ill-treated by the conductor..- There is a case pending now where an i'ndividual, who may have been .', C suffering from the. above complaint,'.has sent v. i :> in a false report, which case 1 wiji probably be made public through tho columns, of one of our weekly papers—l am, etc., ; . ONE .WHO HAS BEEN THROUGH ) . ' THE MILL. 1 April 9. ' '. ,- ■ - [The return referred to by our .correspon-dent-was compiled by tho City Council officials.] - n