MEETING BROKEN UP.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 29, 3 February 1912, Page 6

MEETING BROKEN UP.

COUNCILLOR HINDIfiARSH ANGRY. ' WHO APPROACHED PULLER? After the council resolved itself into committee discussion proceeded, -without the. reporters being preseent. • .Suddenly ioud voices -could "be heard in. the chamber — and shortly afterwards councillors- commenced 'to emerge from the chamber in ones arid twos. Then Councillor Hindmarsh's voice could be heard in angry conversation with the Acting-Mayor. Councillor Hindmarsh was declaring that the council had engineered Inspector Fuller's letter of resignation, but this Councillor Smith and other councillors denied. Warm words, such as "lies," and "honest men," "exposure," and "contemptible" were used, and Councillor Hindmarsh said he "would not be ruled out of order by the Acting-Mayor." The meeting broke up in complete disorder, and councillors promptly left the building I chagrined at the unexpected turn of events. A NEW PROPOSAL. STRIKE COMMITTEE CHANGES ATTITUDE. . STATEMENT BY THE TOWN CLERK.. After, the unfortunate incident was over Mr. Palmer (Town Clerk) made the following statement to the press: — The delegates of the Strike Committee came over to furnish us with an official report 'of the result of last night's meeting of the union. They also asked to meet the delegates of the council. The delegateo of both sides met, and the representatives of the Strike Committee advanced a, further proposal in the direction of a, settlement. They asked that No. 1 clause should be deleted entirely from th« previous basis of agreement, and that the council's own resolution of yesterday should be substituted, and embodied in the agreement as follows : — "That it be an instruction to the Electrical Engineer, on the settlement of tho dispute, to have Inspector Fuller placed -in a position where he will not have any dealings with the members of the Tramways Union." The council waa considering this proposal when the unfortunate incident occurred which led to its compulsory adjournment until Monday morning. MR. HALLY EXPLAINS. HIS POSITION IN THE MATTER. The question of the part taken by Mr. Hally, the Conciliation Commissioner, in the dispute has been the.subject of some comment. "Were you approached by the City Council, or instructed by it to act?" he was asked by a Post reporter after the sensational termination of the council meeting.. "The statement is not correct," he replied." "It is quite piobable that while I was speaking to the City Council the idea may have been present in the mind of some councillors that they should instruct me to do certain things. At any rate, I anticipated that that was so/and, in order not to stultify the ( council. I gave the members to understand that I had not given any consideration to the Strike Committee in the matter, and that I intended to act on my own authority and without instruction from either party. No instructions were given to me, either by the council or the Strike Committee. i "I waited on Mr. Fuller, and, after considerable discussion, he elected to fall in with my suggestion that ho should, of his own motion, ask the council to place him in some other position where he would not come in contact with the men. The reasons for suggesting this course were, in the first place, that he realised, if he continued in the position he occupied, his duties would be of a very unpleasant character} and, in the second place, that he realised that this course of action would open the door and probably solve the difficulty. At the same time he also realised that he would be doing a good turn to the general public. "Before suggesting to Fuller that he should sign any document or make any statement publicly, I gave him to understand that it would be advisable to have a conversation with his superior officers, and that if ho was being advised by a lawyer he should consult these parties before taking a ilnal step. Thsse views seemed to fit in with what he deeiied. and to my own knowledge he saw Meesra. Cable and Richardson. I cannot cay whether he consulted a legal authority. "As to +he actual letter— the ktter was written by_ myself in the Town Clerk's office, in the presence of Mr. O'Shea^the city solicitor) and Mr. Palmpr (the town clerk), and Mr. Fuller himself. It is perfectly correct to say Fuller did not write the letter, but he was aware of its contents. I wish to make it perfectly clear that during the whole of the proceedings no undue pressure waß brought to bear on the man by myself. "Having overcome that difficulty— which teemed to be. the only on© at the time— I was satisfied that the trains

would be running that afternoon, but it appears, that that was not the only hurdle. I then deemed it advisable to' remain in the background, fully anticipating that a successful settlement would be reached. However, I will make another effort to bring the parlies together, and I am quite satisfied that there is a reasonable hope of the trams running early next week." STRIKE COMMITTEE'S POSITION STATEMENT BY ONE OF THE EXECUTIVE. "" A member of the Strike Executive, Mr. M. J, Reardon. said to a Post reporter to-day: "This morning the Strike Committee met in the Trades Hall, and agreed, after discussion, that we would put in writing the resolution that the City Council told us was on their minute book, and that clause relating to victimisation (already agreed to by both parties). These we would take* to the Town Hall and the four members of the executive^ would sign that without any discussion at all. We went to the Town Hall to-day with this proposal, and there met the four councillors (the sub- committee of the council), whom we had met before. Councillor Atkinson immediately suggested that they should take it back to the council without discussion with us. As they went out several councillors turned back and remarked, ' I am afraid, gentlemen, you, have no earthly chance of getting this.' We waited there for some time, but there was no reappearance of any councillors, and we nave not been communicated with since. "We again repeat that at any hour fijpm now until midnight the four members of the executive will, at ten minutes' notice, put their signatures to this document. We will go back to the men, and each man of us will do everything possible to influence the men to induce them to accept these terms." The Strike Exeuctive is meeting this afternoon.