GOOD FRIDAY TRAMS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 174, 16 April 1908, Page 8

GOOD FRIDAY TRAMS.

: ATTITUDE OF THE EMPLOYEES. THEY WILL MAN THE CARS. STATEMENTNBY • THE SECRETARY OF ' , THE'UNION. : The attitude of tho Tramway Employees' , Union dn regard to working on Good Friday was fully explained to a Dominion reporter . -yesterday by Mr. W. T.' Young,: secretary to the Union; / . '."Tlio resolution of the City Council to run m Sunday servico- on. Good Friday was briefly considered -at of the Union ■ last: .Sunday ! morning," 1 said Mr. Young, " and after some discussion, '.during which, I think, ' oho ''or* two ; men asserted that if thby wore ,picked r 'for'duty .on Good Friday, they would not .work,'-it-was decided to send e. letter to tho Town Clerk , requesting the Council to reconsider its decision, in order 'that the tramway, employees might enioy the 'holiday 'along with "tho rest of the cominunity. Tlio request was made on two grounds .—-first,, on'all; other th'omen ,'aro compelled'■'ito.-ATork^at'-i.onlinary-:' rates \of .'pay -to meet the convenience of tho public, and sccond, that Christmas Day and Good Friday 'are holy days, on' which . there are no sports or-other moans of amusement, arid , the cars aro not required by the public to the samo, exi»rt -as' they , are; on-other holidays. -' This ;is by' the ,'faot that .the" cars did not pay working expenses last Good ;Friday. ::'; ; /- ; ; :/£'; "j;'; : ;

NO SUGGESTION. OF TROUBLE. v | . , " The -letter : to the Town Clerk was cx- i pressed ,in languago that i.no. person could -possibly, take any;-exception-to. ; . It merely; conveyed, our protest and request,, 'and liebody could possibly 'infer, from its'tone that if the Council resolved to run tlio cars on .Good i Friday '.the .'men. ■ would 1 not -work.T may:,say, 'that, : whilst the, subject 'was .being, discussed; .it was nover even hinted that the I .men would jiot man-tho cars-on Good Friday. CALLING FOR VOLUNTEERS. . " In, ,regard, to our request to the ■ Elec-1 trical Engineer, to call for volunteers to run the cars . on . Good Friday, that would bo merely following tho course that was adopted by tho. department on two -.previous Good Fridays. , An ofTicor took the names; of . tho men who were willing to work,- and the duty -roster .wasj.compiled.-.from.-the list, thus. obtained. : That "is all wo asksd the 'departmint j to do on the'present occasion.-, < Wo,thought that-otherwise some of the;.men picked for duty on Good Friday might not desire to work, and the department, would bo put to considerable inconvenience in getting others -to take their places. That. would bo obviated' by adopting our suggestion. But ;as N ,for Jaiiy.suggestion, or inference .that.the ' men' would riot man tho cars on Good,, Friday,/there is. certainly nothing .'of that sort 'amqhg the'tramway/employees, nor so far. as I personally am concerned.. -, ' - . ENOUCH MEM FOR GOOD FRIDAY; ' "I 1 think there will bo: enough men to man the cars on Good Friday. Tho Union does not ;proposo _to take .any 'action, whatever in- the direction.bf asking the men not to work on that day. If any man who is pickcd 'for duty.-does not turn up,' that will be • purely -an individual act, -and - the,, individual- will havo ■ to' shou]der<whatoyer re-' sponsibDity,; may .-be. attached to it."- . • r -' A WIDER MOVEMENT. • Mr. Young .went on to say that Councillor Biss was mistaken when, he; stated that the Dunedin City. Council,, after' deciding not- to : run- j Good Friday, was ; forced. by popular outcry to .rescind .the .were/that the .Council decidwl to, givo tho.'tramway 'cmployees a whole 'holidfiy last Good Friday, "but l it. happened, tha,t tlio Order-in-Council 'authorising : the i Dunedin tramway, system!' stipulatedi that ftie -cars Jntist run' every dayji ( n. tbo, year, and one or twb persons demanded' that the Order-in-Council should bo complied with. 1 Tho Mayor. i therefore, issued instructions. (o run tho cars on Good Friday. : Thomatter was referred: to the Tramways Union Colonial Ex- ; ccutive, i which , sits ,in . Wellington, and of which ■••M&' yoOTgyß\gei^lysecrotary..ln- 1 quirics . were .made; by that .body with a view to ascertaining iow the two holidays, ian-ist-jhas Day;and Good ;SYiday, could hej scoured for tramwaymeri'in all; the cities. -A letter was written.;last -June to ;the Hon. W. JEall,Tones respectfully;: suggesting that : such. Ordors-ra-Council as _debarred I the > tramway, employees from "enjoying two holidays in the year'.should be. amended; '• To -this, the.-Exe 7 outive received: a." reply 'out,, that the Govprnor could hot amend ;thsse Orders-, in-Coitncil unless tho local' authorities , con-" corned ' applied.' for, this':,to <be done.'-..; ...

DUNEDIN COUNCIL'S OBJECTIONS. The T -Tramway sExecutivo then asked tho i Dunedin' Gity Council to make' application-; ■ accordingly,' but . thatauthority <replic'd, ,dc- ; , dining to do : so, _ and pointing cut that, if '■ • sucli an' application were : made," difficulties, might ariso'from the fact of the. tramways, being operated under several Orders-in- ■ Council; which were granted originally to . different local bodies; Tho Council, also thought that a poll might bo, insisted on, and that complications might ariso through . the' ratepayers of different ; districts being. V.yat/variance,in.the Tho ."Union did 'not consider .those objections . valid,- but .- nothing'further was done because;.tho Union. < • expected ■ that 'the.v.Tnimways' Bill, of last session, wo'uhl bo passed, and .'they, intended to submit evidence in support of their re-. quest: for 'tho .two holidays to Ihe/Parlia--montary Committee,- on. the Bill.* . THE AMNUAL LEAVE. •Mr. l Young added that whilst the tramway .' employees in- Wellington (thoroughly appro- ' ciated tho;'clanso; in their 'agreement with •tho Corporation whereby' each man "was. allowed a holiday of eight consecutive : wo'rki ingv days : in the year/ on full ordinary .' pay, it mustbe "recognised' that i these ; holidays: . did not enable tliem to take- part in the ordinary holiday enjoyments of tho", general public. At present thero was no day , when > - tho tramway , employees -of any' centre': could '*! hold a picnic with their wives and children/ . V STATEMENT BY THE CITY ELECTRICAL ENGINEER. Mr; Stuart. Richardson, City. Electrical Eiir gincer, when questioned by a Dominion re- , porter yesterday, said that it was not intended to call for volunteers to work the Good Friday tram scrvice.. Tho ordinary pro-' : eedure would bo followed to carry, out the decision of .tho. City Council by. running tho ■' same service as on Sundays, with the addi- ■ fcion of cars to connect with tho railway • trains .in the morning. , .. Mr. Richardson also pointed "out that'the Order-in-Councd under which ' the 1 ' • tramways were worked did not give the: Cor- ' poration-the option 'of suspending,'.the';service on Good Friday. !'Clause''2s of the Order: stated that trams shall be run daily, • except on Sundays, on all lines.-