THE RIGHT TO WORK.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume I, Issue 34, 23 January 1911, Page 5

THE RIGHT TO WORK.

(To the Editor.) Sir? May I, through your cob umns, enter a protest against the growing disposition of the laboui unions to dominate the labour market and reserve to themselves the right to work. I am an elderly man a nd one outside the pale as far as union membership ts con

cerned. but there is life in me yet. and at piece work I can earn sufficient to support myself and those cepending on me for the necessar ics of life. Am I to be deprived of my independence bo.cav.6e* of the tenets of a labour union ? It is sc ium? u red and I wish to emphasise tne injustice of the thing. What is the objection to the piece-work-system of payment. If such a system of payment was practised on all public works ho harm could result to anyone, and those engaged on the jobs would be paid accord ing to merit. What can an honest worker want more than to receivt full recompense for hi.s xlay’s labour ? Another advantage, if the system was universal , would be that we men who are past our prime would be able to / maintain ourselves, and instead of becoming a burden on others and a misery to ourselves, we would retain our self respect. In this town there are many men, who, like myself, will be only too pleased to get work on the sewarage and other undertakings now being entered upon by the borough, but from what I can learn, someone is en deavouring to spoil our chances. Why should such an injustice be served upon us pioneers who. al though having borne the heat and burden of the early days of this young Dominion, are still vigorous and capable of doing good work ?

If we are not to be allowed to ob-

tain honest labour, the consequence will be that we shall have to fall I back on charitable aid, and the; State will have to help us to exist. While we are able and willing to work, we should not be deprived of the chance of earning our living i or debarred from doing so by the rising labour union organisations of' the present dav. —I am. etc., ; ON THE JOB. ;