DUNEDIN NOTES.

Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 2927, 18 July 1911, Page 5

DUNEDIN NOTES.

(From Our Own Correspondent.) A strike is such a rare thins* in Dunedin that the announcement that (at 6rst) some thirty girls had struck at Rosa and Glendenning's Woollen Mills in the Kaikorai Valley, raised a smile and called for the remark " the management will soon pat a stop to that." But though the management lived ap to the expectation that was formed of them by patting an advertisement in the press stating that all girls who had strnck would be paid off and their savings lank deposit returned, the girls continued to strike until the thirty was dangerously near the one hundred line with more to follow. At this stage the Trades and Lttor Council stepped in and requested Arbitration. Evidently the management, in the interim, had made inquiries and learned a few things. At all events ,there was no " pay off " and arbitrators were appointed. The nett result was that after a week's agitation and publicity and comment the arbitrators practically decided that the girla were in the right and recommended the management to take them back and to reform, or obliterate, all causes of complaint—aud this was done. The strike—happily past—differed from the majority of strikes in that it waa a girls' revolt not agaiust hours and pay but by way of protest against a system of favoritism in apportioning the work. Aud the arbitrators concluded there was evidence to justify the girla in their action. It was asserted that certain employees in dividing oat the work had continuously given to those of their own friends among the girla the easier and best paying work. As I have said, the charge may or may not lie true. The important fact is that scores of girls believed it to be true and were prepared to, and did, risk their billets in support of their belief, and in doing this the arbitrators say there was circumstantial evidence, at least, to support them. The moral is that employees should mind their work aud not mix it with things that pertain to after hours. The Dunedin City Council in common with tramway authorities everywhere, and the proprietors of the Hill cable systems, are up in arms against the meddling interference of a parcel of foolish people, backed np by more -foolish Ministers, as they have expressed themselves in the new Tramways Act Why this unfortunate country with its million of men, women and children should permit a few incapable men to spend £9 odd per head aanaally to govern them, passes comprehension. We are spending two millions more to-day than we did wheu Mr Seddon died in 1906. And what have we to show for it f But to return. The latest attempt of our foolish rulers to govern us is exemplified as stated in their Tramways Act which, if the various proprietors and councils are weak enough to obey, will spell ruin for the tramway aervicee and inferno for the travelling pnblic. In Dunediu, fur example, it woald mean that 22 only in place of twice as many passengers can be carried at one time in one car while so disastrous will its effects prove to the hill cable system that their owners have pablicly stated that they will have to doee down. I am alino6t inclined to hope they will. It really wants something like a civil revolt to wake the people up to a recognition of the gross imbecility of the present gang of odds and ends who are said to be "oar rulers and ministers." Meanwhile it is all talk—thoagh pretty plain talk, thank goodness—at that. What those who come after us will think of as it is hard to say but, here in Dnnedin, we are piling ap a nice little municipal debt for them to pay off The worst of it is thai so much of it is pure waste, lmagina any body of business men taking up a scheme in the belief that £IOO,OOO capital would prove ample to give them oertain resuk which, six years later, with absolutely no factors entering that were not known (or that could have been known) from the first, they find will cost them £400,000 and that too with no absolute certainty, of getting what they want! Yet this is what the Dunedin City Council have done over their Waipori Electric Light and investment. So, too, with the gas department. The amount of money that has been put back into this undertaking would aatonish those Councillors, if they knew, (but they don')t who are for ever talking about the profitable investment it has been. Well, some time last year a new gas bolder was put in (cost, I think, £12,000) and after calling in the most expert experts (Oh, those experts, what humbags they are—and they look so wise all the while !) and fixing the new tank on the best of foundations, and having a sort of glorification, hallelujah,

a ilvation army revival service to * celehratq* the occasion, we wake up one fine day to learn that the gasometei is sinking and not nnlike to take a walk,, or ran, down the harbor! Then the wise men pat their beads together and, among other things, they learned that the English contractor who had come oat from England to fix it had been released from all responsibility when he protested against certain proceedings (nobody, so far, has been hanged). To-day the citizens are coolly, calmly and commandingly told that it will cost them another £9OOO to pat it right! Bravo!