TRAMWAY TROUBLE.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 219, 9 June 1908, Page 8

TRAMWAY TROUBLE.

THE CHRISTCHURCH DISPUTE. MEETING OF THE EMPLOYEES* THE^"OVERCROWDING" BY-LAW. (BT TELEGEiPH—SPECIAL CORRESPONDENTS.) Christchurch, June 8. • There have beon ,no fresh developments to-day in connection with tho tramway trouble. It was decided at yesterday's meeting; that if the Board persisted in claiming all surplus moneys paid in by conductors while deducting', all shortages from their pay, tho conductors should rigidly observe tho Board's by-law dealing .with overcrowd-, ing. Theso, it may'be mentioned, provide that no person other than the conductor shall trpvel on the' steps or platform of : any . car, and that, when every seat ill a car is occupied, no additional person shall mount if warned .by. the conductor not to, do so. In proposing , th'at this by-law. should be enforced, a member of the Union said: "You must bei r prepared to carry the thing out in its entirety.. For. if you "make a hash of it you will be demned for ever "after. You are going to . fight the Board and the public—tho. public because you' will have to keep thorn ■. off full /cars, and the Board because you curtail-its revenue. N lf .you are going to lie down and < let the Board'commandeer £800 or £900 in a' couple of years' •you, can let tho' matter stand, ,but if you want the mistakes, that, air of-us are liable to inake rectified in the other way, you' must fight tho Board for. it. You must' either now, take .up . a determined • stand or lie" down for 'over after. '- Of course, if two or. threo conductors I turn blackleg they will, spoil tho hash. If tho Board can get a few conductors .run tho cars thoro will simply bo a system of discharging for - 'incompetence.' Those men yjio will not allow the. cars to ; bo .overcrowded will bo dispensed with. The blacklegs will bo :retained and, with,'assistance from outside; they'will' keep the service running. Tho crucial point has ■arrived,'.'..lt -is;. a whether you : are , going to fight for your--rights- and .-■prevent the Board from curtailing your/wages by tho amounts quoted or havo tho full wages you aro en- | titled to." i ■-. A Member.: "Will the Union back up, a ,nian ; who gets suspended fir. stopping his. car?" '■ •'V .:■ ■' >-V ; . ' ■':'■ Voices: "Yes, one out all out." ..i | (. The; Secretary -reminded the, members that tho proceedings that- day would havo to be reported in the 'usual'.way /to the federation jn Wellington, 'which 'had 'always to give its approval beforo extreme measures, were adopted.

. It now.appears that''only some.4o'of the 70 members of the.Union were at.tho,meetting,:, and . report -.says .that the absentees are- not;, in" favour' of the step decided upon, and they, or somo .of. them,, aro ] declining ; to sign an agreemeht to.enfprco i.tho by-laws, -The. Urjion: seems 'to - have forgotten" 'that the TramVay Board can repeal its bylaws, and -that-if it finds the men are. iising any particular. one as a' weapon - to. compel the ■ Board to accede to its -demands, that bylaw can bo abolished.- The "overcrowding" by-law is a dead letter as it is, and no one suffers by the small amount of overcrowding that takes place on tho penny sections.'.at: iho day.