TRAMWAY PROTEST

Greymouth Evening Star, 2 November 1946, Page 2

TRAMWAY PROTEST

FINISHING TIMES OF RACING AT ADDINGTON ' DRASTIC ACTION POSSIBLE (P.A.) CHRISTCHURCH, Nov. 1. A stoprwork 'meeting of members of the Christchurch Tramway Employees’ Union is threatened because of dissatisfaction over the finishing times of trotting meetings at Addington. The union claims that the New Zealand Metropolitan Trotting Club has failed to carry out an undertaking, given more than a year ago, to start the last race no later than 4 p.m. “Tramwaymen are gravely concerned and resentful over the finishing times of the races,” said the'secretary of the union (Mr. N. R. Forbes) today. “There is a possibility of drasr tic action being taken in the near future. There is every possibility of a stop-work meeting of all employees,” he said. - The New Zealand Metropolitan Trotting Club was the worst offender of the racing and trotting clubs in Christchurch against the agreement reached with the union that the last race at any meeting at Addington and Riccarton was not to start later than 4 p.m., said Mr. Forbes. The club had now announced that, after starting its first race at 10.45 a.m., the last race was to begin at 4.7 p.m. By the time the tramway employees had transported the crowds back to the Square and made runs to the various termini, it would be 7 p.m. before they could sign off. For men who had been on duty since 6 a.m. that was asking too much. “The club definitely promised that the last race would be run no later than 4 p.m., and the union did pot even receive the'courtesy,', of being asked whether it approved of the last race starting seven minutes later,” said Mr. Forbes. “Mr. C. S. Thomas, the president of the trotting club, and Mr. H. E. Goggin, the secretary, knew that the trotting meeting on Show Day a year ago was held only with the consent of the tramway workers, but th'e club has not asked us for our opinion this year,” said Mr. Forbes. “The union could have stopped the Show Day trotting meeting last year. The members agreed to work long hours to provide the transport and their officials backed un the club. Now the club has fixed the starting time for the first race at noon. That means a late start and a late ending on a day when the show traffic is, in itself, a problem and a strain on the workers,” concluded Mr. Forbes.