"PENALISING THRIFT."

Evening Post, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 59, 7 September 1909, Page 3

"PENALISING THRIFT."

A FRIENDLY SOCIETY COMPLAINT. Mention was mado iv The Post last week of a grievance felt by the combined friendly societies of Wellington through the action of the tramways department of the Wellington Corporation in penalising injured employees who happened to be members of a friendly society. A deputation from the combined lodges waited on the Tramways Committee yesterday afternoon, and protested against the practice of deducting from the full wages given to incapacitated tram employees (who were in]uied while on duty) the sum of £1 per week, which they received in sick pay if they were members of a friendly society. Mr. A. J. Bennett and Mr. C. D. Robertson put the case for the societies, after which there was a short discussion amongst the committeemeu. Councillor Shirtcliffe mentioned that the act of the council was purely a voluntary one ; there was no compulsory need to make up the full wages. Mr. Bennett answered that the deputation recognised that ; what it was present to object to was the discrimination against thrifty men\which was being practised. If a man l^elonged to no lodge, his full wages were made up, but if he waa provident enough to pay money into a lodge he got no benefit from it in case of accident. When a man was laid up there were expenses upon him which made him need more than ordinary wages, and the deputation thought that fact should be remembered. Really, a sick lodge man got less than a nonlodge man, for the former had to pay Is or Is 6d per week to keep himself good on the books. In answer to Dr. Newman, the city electrical engineer replied that this practice had beeu going oi> evei since the tramways were started. Councillor Smith remarked that he had been a member of the committee for a long while, and yet he had never known of the practice He thought it wrong to take away from a man any ocnefifc that he derived from his own thrift. Councillor Shirtcliffe : Well, I always understood that this allowance was in'•■luded. The Mayor intimated that the committee would look into the matter, and some decision would be come to later.