THEATRE FIREMEN

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 108, 9 May 1930, Page 8

THEATRE FIREMEN

(To the Editor.)

g; rj — Having accidentally tmissed Monday's paper, my attention has just been drawn to a letter under the heading "Theatre Firemen," signed by Mr. Robertson, Dominion secretary, referring to certain remarks made by myself as a member of a deputation representing the Wellington Theatre Firemen's Union, which waited on the City Council's Bylaws Committee, and charging me with misrepresentation.

I'or the past twenty-four years I have been a well-known man in trades union circles nnd the Labour movement throughout the Dominion, and this is the first occasion I have been accused on sucli a charge. As the chief spokesman of the deputation referred to I spoke from the report of the proceedings connected with the previous deputation as representing the employers and appearing in your issue of sth* April. I quoted paragraph five of your report word by word, in which this passage occurs: ".They (the firemen) were

not allowed in the projection boxes." I said then, and still say, that that statement is a misleading and incorrect one, the Cinematograph Films Act Regulations notwithstanding, since it is the first duty of the fireman to go through and thoroughly inspect all projection boxes befor« a- performance can commence.

In my next statement, I quoted as before, from line H to line 2G, paragraph eight o£ the report, and stated that I had sent the cutting to the superintendent of Fire Brigades at Chiistchureh, requesting his comment, and on the authority of his reply asserted that the statement contained in the report was untrue and misleading. Wherein have I misrepresented My. Robertson? If he has been misrepresented in your report, surely if so much concerned, why did he not make the correction four weeks ago? Or was it that in order to bolster up his own case he left the impression until now in the hope that it might escape challenge.—l am, etc.,

- H. HANTON, Secretary Theatre Firemen's Union.