LETTERS TO THE, EDITOR.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13703, 20 March 1908, Page 3

LETTERS TO THE, EDITOR.

THE ARBITRATION ACT. Sir,l notice from the press' telegrams that the Arbitration Court has been having a field day in Wellington last Monday, fining-., innocent citizens right and. left and making criminals of them simply because of breaches of this impossible Act. I wonder how much longer it is going to. exist and worry manu- • facturers and tradespeople out of their lives* Thank goodness, there appear to be signs not, only in; this Dominion, but in Austra- "" lia also of the complete breakdown of this.most, pernicious system. It satisfies no one. Even the workers on behalf of whom the Act; was invented are up in arms against if.? From the manufacturers' point of view it is most tyrannical and one-sided in its operation. All masters and traders are fined and have to pay, or else go to prison and have their goods confiscated. On the other hand, if the men or trades unions are fined do they pay? I very much doubt it. I have not heard yet that the Blackball Miners* : Union has .paid the £75 fine imposed by the Arbitration Court, recently. If all the miners in the colony were to go out on strike . can any sane person imagine that they would be all fined, or in default put in prison for non-payment of fines? Yet this would be the logical outcome if the law was to act fair all round. It only shows what a monstrous sham' and tyranny- the wholething is. A Freeborn Briton. A COMPLAINI. 1 Sir, — regret lam compelled to comment on the treatment, passengers from Onehunga receive at the hands of the Northern Steamship Company. Yesterday I was one of many passengers that booked per 5.6. Claymore for Hokianga, this vessel having been advertised in the daily papers to leave st 10 a.m On arrival at Onehunga, I was informed by one of the company's, officials that the Claymore would not leave before noon. Having business to transact in Auckland, I returned to the city,' and then back: again to Onehunga in time for the supposed' departure at noon. However, much to my ; disgust, I was then informed that two p.m. would be the probable hour of sailing. After . hanging about Onehunga till two p.m., 1 ■ was then informed that it would probably ' bo five p.m. before the Claymore would get* awaj. Such misleading advertisements on ■ the part of the Northern Steamship Company are, to say the least, most annoying topassengers. The Northern Steamship Company blame the merchants for not sonding the cargo out more promptly, but, what I do contend is that when the steamer is advertised to leave at 10 a.m.. and the cargo is not out- the previous day, they must sttrely know that it is quite impossible to sfil at 10 a.m., ami such being the cast* yiey could easily advertise in the Herald t somewhere near the proper hour of departure, instead of misleading numerous passengers by getting them out to Onehunga to spend the day. A Disgusted PASSENGER. [From inquiries made, we learn that the circumstances on the occasion mentioned in the above letter were quite exceptional, the occurrence of a holiday and- the pressure of railway traffic interfering with the prompt forwarding of cargo.—En.]. A CORRECTION. Sir,ln your report of the Police Court proceedings in your issue of yesterday you state that ''a young man named Victor Ehrman. employed as a conductor on the Auckland Electric Tramways, was charged at the Police Court yesterday with having stolen a quantity of tram tickets," etc. "J am directed by resolution passed at a meeting of the union, held this morning, to inform you that there is no conductor of (hat name in the employ of Hie A.E.T. Co. The conductors of the company have quite enough troubles of their own to contend with without having these of other people foisted upon their shoulders. Trusting that you will make this necessary correction in your next issue. AsTUtfß RoBSER, ' March 19. Secretary.