A REPLY

Greymouth Evening Star, 18 November 1913, Page 2

A REPLY

[to THE EDITOR. 1 Sir.—-In answer to “Worker out of Work,” 1 would like to say first that no man who :s a worker would have written such a lot of tommy rot as he did when he wrote under the heading of Arbitration Court. I think “Worker out of Work” is more likely to belong to the employing class. May I also ask him when did Mr Semple and the other men arrested and now in prison become foreigners? I was not aware that England, Ireland, Scotland and Australia were foreign countries. These are the countries where the arrested men were born. “Worker” also says: No doubt we are a simple lot. Well as he says so; doubtless he is right. He is a simple lot. But the men who belong to the Federation of Labour are a sample lot of the brains and backbone of New Zealand. He also says: “Wake up, workers. ’ Now Mr Worker, that is the trouble of the Arbitrationists. The men have awakened to the fact that Massey and Co. have kept them down long enough, and they (the men) are not going .to stand any further Arbitration. I may also state in' justice to Mr Semple that it is not true that he is building a man. sion to cost £IOCO. I must also inform Mr Worker that Ins kind l invitation to the bonafide workers of New Zealand to join the Arbitration Court is distinctly but firmly refused. He finishes up his silly letter by saying “Give compulsory arbitration.” Which request reminds one of the good little boy who asked his mother to give him a good dose of castor oil to he followed by a spanking. If the workers of New Zeadand were silly enough to throw in their lot with arbitration, Massey and Co. would not fail to scourge them. To revert to foreigners. What was the Blessed Saviour of mankind but a foreigner? Does Mr. Worker expect to reach Heaven by any other way than through the lowly Naz arene, or is he depending mi Mr Massey’s help in that, direction? As the .Massey Government has been able to provide a little warm place in New Zealand perhaps they can also provide a little Heaven for workers out of work, where there is a certainty of finding no RED FEDS.