A STATEMENT DENIED

Evening Post, Volume XCIII, Issue 29, 2 February 1917, Page 8

A STATEMENT DENIED

TO THE BDITOB,

Sir, —I havo read the two resolutions ■passed at the meeting of the Waterside Workers' Union last night, the effect of same being to misrepresent the present unfortunate position in the eyes of the public, and I feel I cannot let these pass without placing some plain facts before you. ■ .-• ■ .

■y The first' resolution passed endorses the action of their delegates in refusing to submit the * dispute to the Arbitration Court. Are the people of New Zealand going to sit down any longer and allow a, body of men. to defy the laws of the country, more especially seeing that the New Zealand Waterside Workers' Federation is encouraging the introduction of the I.'W.W. principles in carrying out their work-r-the "go slow " policy—of which I will give you concrete cases when dealing with the second resolution? I can assuro the public the demands placed before the employers by this federation were simply impossible, and had the shipping companies conceded any one of them they would have crippled every trade and industry in this Dominion. The federation's proposed improved working conditions are the most absurd and unworkable lot ever placed before any body of employers, and I will go as far as to say that any employer favourably considering same would be a party to encouraging this federation to fully adopt the I.W.W. principles in carrying out their work. ■ The second passed last night read as follows : — "That this meeting of Wellington Waterside Workers emphatically de-nies,-the statement made by the ployers that the members impeded or refused to work on troopships or ships carrying produce commandeer-

cd' by the Imperial authorities, nor is it their intention to do so." The spirit of this.resolution has not been carried out by the men in the past in respect to steamer* carrying foodstuffs commandeered by the. Imperial authorities for the feeding of our troops and the British public. For instance, on the 30th January, a Home-liner loading at this port commenced loading cheese with one gang of men at 1 p.m., and worked until 5 p.m.—four hours. The quantity of cheese loaded during that time was 425 crates,: whereas a reasonable quantity that should be loaded in four hours would be between 1500 and 1600 crates. On the same vessel, loading frozen meat for the Imperial authorities, one morning this week two gangs, working from 8 a.m. to 10.30 a.m., put on board four trucks between them when they should easily have loaded four trucks each.

Similar concrete cases could .be given in respect to the loading of another Home liner. There is another lying here to discharge her cargo. This vessel is badly required to convoy frozen meat, cheese, and wool as urgently as possible to the Mother Country, and it is impossible to load her until she was completed the discharge of her inward cargo. The watersiders have deliberately held this vessel up because they refuse to dump her cargo, as required by the employers—a system that has been in vogue here and at other ports for years—their objection being, no doubt, that they are afraid of doing six days' work in three days, their present policy being to do three days' work in six.

I do not think I am exaggerating the position when I say nearly all of us have a brother, son, or some relative in the trenches sacrificing "their blood for the defence of our country, and who are in urgent need of our food productions. I think we have in our midst-a small body of men apparently willing to hinder our. troops' in obtaining their supplies from this country. Let me a-sk quite frankly, are the men who deliberately introduce the " Go Slow " policy of the I.yV.W. in carrying out their duties in this country worthy to bo called Britishers? I will give them the credit of apparently overlooking the fact that by adopting their present tactics they arc assisting the enemy, and now that .it' has been pointed out to them, I do hope,' as men, they will amend their methods of working and not do as little as they can, but put their backs into it and do their best.—l am, etc., lIIJBEET L. NATHAN. 2nd February.