MR. WALKLATE'S REASONING. THE CASE OF CONDUCTOR HERDSON.

Evening Post, Volume LXXV, Issue 123, 25 May 1908, Page 3

MR. WALKLATE' S REASONING. THE CASE OF CONDUCTOR HERDSON.

[By Telegraph. — Press Association.] AUCKLAND, This Day. Addressing the men at the conference, (Mr. Walklate, referring to the principal grievance that Conductor Herdson had been dismissed without being given a satisfactory reason, said that he could not sec- his way to reinstate Herdson, "but as the union now made such a strong point of it he would give the reason for his dismissal. In the service of any tram company insolenco to superior olficers could not possibly be tolerated if discipline was to be maintained, and the interests of the public protected. Herdson offended in that way, hence his discharge. Ho was quite willing to give a satisfactory reason for every summary dismissal, but he was not prepared to depart from the custom governing all other trades of discharging employees with a week's notice or a week's money in lieu of notieo without assigning reasons. He thought it would be most unreasonable to ask him to do so, as if he admitted such a principle he would be laying his company open to defend actions for alleged slander on the part of discharged employees — actions that would bo difficult to fight. Every reasonable citizen knew that in many cases when an employee' was unsatisfactory the only safe way was to give him his week's ""pay in advance- instead of notice, rather than continue to trust him with valuable property after _he knew that he was to be dispensed with. That principle, therefore, simply must be applied to the Tram Company's service, and it pressed no more hardly upon any motorman or conductor than it did upon any employee in any other comSany's service- In cases of summary ismissal he ag^'ied 10 the employee dismissed having che right to' inspect all reports made against him by his superior officers, and he had no objection to the inclusion of that in the next award. If any cases arose in future where they were not satisfied with a man's services, and where they were not prepared to as- . sign a reason, he was willing to undertake to give that man the opportunity to resign. The question of giving a rea—»a fw Aischaxidaa. ,a, jnan, juiw, .was.

given a week's wages in lieu of notice, that being a legal one, should be dealt with by the Arbitration Court. HEALTHY EXERCISE. * CBr Telegbaki. — Spboiai, to The Post.] AUCKLAND, This Day. Amongst tho disastrous results predicted in connection with the tramway strike is that 'the general health of the Auckland public will be seriously impaired by the enforced exercise of walking — an almost forgotten recreation in these days. It is certain that Aucklanders take far too little walking exercise, and probably some of them will see more of the beauties of their city as they walk into and out of town than they have ever noticed before. There was some grumbling at first, but tho people are beginning to find they can walk without much harm, and in fact rather enjoy the exercise, the weather being fine. If tho strike is continued, the tramway authorities may find that a walking craze has set in to the detriment of shareholders in the company.