AN EXPLANATION.

Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 4647, 6 July 1944, Page 2

AN EXPLANATION.

Sir. —As His Worship the Mayor of Queenstown has not replied to my challenge of June the Bth., I will now give a few of the reasons that lead up to my resignation as engineer at the power-house. Referring to His Worship ’s statement where I had accepted the Tribunal’s decision in respect for any remuneration due to me. This only applies to time worked on behalf of Mr Evans, and my holiday pay. One day while talking to a friend in the street, the Town Clerk asked me if I would take charge of the plant while Mr Evans was away. I said I would do so, but not at the old rate of pay. He told me this would be settled by the Tribunal, and I naturally concluded this was the Wage Tribunal, but when the work was finished, to my surprise the whole business was worked out by the borough council. I was not satisfied with their decision. I suggested putting the case before the Wage Tribunal and I would accept their decision, win or lose. The case duly went before the Tribunal. Their decision was not definite, as it only appeared to them to be right. How ever, I accepted their decision for time worked on Mr Evan’s behalf and holiday time only. Concerning my injured hand. His Worship stated that it was shown that the disability I suffered to my finger was not sustained as a result of my employment with the council. What was the Mayor’s motive in saying this. I will explain what really happened to my finger. One evening while attending to my duties at the power-house a severe pain started in my finger which necessitated me staying up all night bathing it. Early next morning I rang Dr Anderson about it and he told me to come along to the surgery. I did so, and the doctor opened my finger. Two days later Dr Anderson came to my house and opened my finger in two other places. I was in the council chambers a few days later, and, seeng my hand bandaged, the Town Clerk asked me what was wrong with it. I told him the trouble had come on so suddenly I didn’t exactly know* what the trouble was. This one statement is the point the council is working on. As the Town Clerk mentioned this to me verbally and referred to it in a letter where there was no call for the remark, the idea may have been to frighten me. I will now explain what happened. While attending to my duties at the power-house I had occasion to take a door off the exhaust pipe, and was using rather a heavy spanner at the time. The nut came away easier than was anticipated and the handle of the spanner jammed my finger against a corresponding stud. This happened about two weeks before my hand started to trouble me. This accident, without any doubt, was the cause of the trouble. While bathing my hand I noticed the partially' black nail, and then I remembered what I had done. I was working under an agreement between the council and myself. This agreement, apparently, was quite in order until finance came into the picture in respect of the time I was off duty through my hand; then this agreement automaticaly died and I got neither wages nor compensation. Not being satisfied with the council’s interpretation of this agreement, I had it examined by two professional men, and both assured me the council was liable under this agreement, and the only point that saved court proceedings was the time limit had expired. About a: month after coming from the Dunedin doctor, I told the Town Clerk I was ready to take up my duties again. He said I would have to get a doctor’s certificate before doing so. I asked the reason and he said for the insurance. This was the first time insurance had been mentioned. Dr Anderson being away, I saw his locum-tenens, Dr Hawes, and he gave me the certificate and asked if I had got compensation for the loss of my finger. I told him I had not and he advised me to go for it as six months was the time limit. Having no experience with accident insurance, I

naturally thought my employers would attend to that but they hopelessly let me down. Concerning my resignation. This dates back to the time when the council accused me of running the diesel plant for the benefit of the pictures. To a conscientious man in my position this charge was a serious one. As a matter of fact the plant was never in commission on my behalf in the history of its installation. While on duty one Saturday night I had a visit from the Mayor and three councillors who questioned me on this subject, and I don't know yet whether I was found guilty or not, as the council has not had the decency to offer an apology or declare me innocent. At a later date I received a letter from the Town Clerk reading as follows: “Mr Tomkies, Dear Sir, Complaints have been received that you or your agents arc guilty of an offence under part 2, section 19, of the Borough by-laws by issuing a notice on the waterfront inviting persons to travel by your launch. As no application has been received by this office for permission to erect this sign I request you to remove same immediately, (signed) C. M. Inglis, town clerk." Now if the Town Clerk had bothered to look at the records he would have found I have a license for anything I hold in that respect. I did have a board on the waterfront advertising the sailing times of the launch, but not inviting persons to travel by it. After reading this letter, and while walking from the post office to my launch, I counted thirteen boards placed on the footpaths by different business people advertising their goods; so why pick on me. Unfortunately I know the reason for this. I showed the letter to each individual councillor and all denied knowing anything about it. I asked the Town Clerk who the complainant was and to my surprise the culprit turned out to be a councillor. Now I consider this episode nothing short of persecution. These are a few of the many reasons that caused me to resign my position with the borough council and after nineteen years of good and faithful service I was too disgusted to hold my position any longer. Even after I had resigned and before the meeting, one councillor made it his business to tell a local man my resignation was in and to apply for the position and ho would get it. Thanking you Mr Editor for your valuable space. I am, etc., Horace Tomkies.