TRAM SERVICE ON GOOD FRIDAY.

Evening Post, Volume LXXIII, Issue 67, 20 March 1907, Page 2

TRAM SERVICE ON GOOD FRIDAY.

DUNEDTN AGITATED. [BS TELEOBAPH — PHKSS ASSOCIATION.] DUNEDIN, 19th March. A special meeting of the' City Council was 'held this afternoon to reconsider its decision to. give the tramway omjrfoypes a holiday on ' Good Friday. Dr... Coughtrey wrote that he would probably" require to use the trams on Good -Brittay, ah'd as-a-ny failure on the part of the Corporation to carry out honestly their legal obligations would seriously inconvenience him and others, he asked for a prompt reply, stating whether tram services would be placed at" tlie disposal of the public on that date. Tho Mayor said he thought it was only right, to .call ..the council together to consider thVinetter, and also to ask ,tbe City SoliciW to give his opinion ito whether tiney could legally grant the ''holiday or not,j ' The following opinion from the Corporaiion'B^i solicitor iMr. W. C. Macgi'eg^r) -.was read :—": — " I understand that my .clpinifui is,. desired in writing \as to wheiherVthe Cxpy Corporation can dis- , continue the mining of city and suburban oars on * Good ' Friday. In my opinion the Corporation cannot lawfully do so. The various Orders-in-Council are explicit that cars must be run for goods and passengers daily (except at tho option of local authorities on Sundays). No exception is rtia-de in the case of Good j Friday, and cars must accordingly run on that day in terms of the Orders-in-Council." Councillor Brinds did not believe people begrudged the men one day in 365, and i,hey , v shogld 496. Dr. Coughtrey take his legal' proceedings. He thought it was a niece^of presumption on his part to usurp the privileges of, say, the St. Kilda Council. He (the speaker) wanted to know what the penalties were, and who had the right to take action. The Mayor said he had pointed out before that ifchey were breaking the law m passing this. Any ratepayer could protest against its being done. Councillor ..Gor.* said that, taking the question on its merits, these men had only alternate Sundays for holidays, and if they were to have no other, it struck him that men would nob belong to the tramway service if they could get other work. • They might be liable, but he did nob think any one would have'-thd hardihood to go to the Supreme Court. - - ;•' Councillor Connor said that the Arbitration Court Jsnew of the Order-in-Council when it dealt with this matter, because it said that the men should be paid double pay for working on Good Friday. • Councillor Scott was astonished at the" remarks of Councillor Connor about the Arbitration <3our't. In fixing double time for these holidays, it was intended to stop people' from working on those days,' When the" 1 resolution was passed everybody knev/ that it was granted against the v Qrder-in-Council. Councillor Kddis said it would now be mean and contemptible to withdraw the holiday from' '>he men. The motion to rescind the previous motion , granting ,, the . holiday - was -lost, five voting for and seven against. Tho Mayor subsequently decided, on his own responsibility, that the trams snail be run on Good Friday.