TRAMWAY DISMISSALS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22240, 15 October 1935, Page 10

TRAMWAY DISMISSALS

CIIRISTCIIURCH APPEALS CASES OF THREE MEN EVIDENCE BEFORE BOARD (.BY TELEGRAPH —PRESS ASSOCIATION] CIIRISTCHURCH, Monday The Christchurch Tramway Board's reasons for dismissing thrco men who joined its service during the strike in 1932 were further examined at a sitting of the Tramway Appeal Board to-day. Tho board reserved its decision.

Appellants were William Lewis, Frank George Buckley and Frederick James Mitchell. Tho Appeal Board consisted of Mr. H. A. Young, S.M., Mr. J. A. Webb, the union's representative, and Mr. G. Manning, tho Tramway Board's representative. Mr. C. S. Thomas, with Mr. W. F. Tracy, appeared for appellants, and Mr. J. D. Hutchison for tho board. Frank Thompson, formerly manager of tho tramways, said ho warned the board about tho surplus of men in February. " My main reason for resigning," ho said, " was that I know that the surplus of men was going to be used as an excuse to discharge some of the new men. That has come about: it has started anyhow." Tho appellants Buckley and Mitchell gave evidence jis to their good records in the service. Mr. Hutchison, in opening his case, argued that the Appeal Board had no jurisdiction in the present cases. It was intended only to determine the appeals of men dismissed as to punishment. Those men had been dismissed as part of a retrenchment scheme and ho contended the Tramway Board had the right to select which men it could do without.

William Dick, traffic manager, said he hacl selected the men for dismissal. Ho was instructed to select on seniority. The strike period was not to be considered as a break in the service. As his instructions really put the strikers senior to now men, he chose three now men, who, in his opinion, wero those whoso services could best bo spared. John Kendrick Archer, chairman of the Tramway Board said the board's policy had been simply to keep as many men as possible employed. It was not the policy of the board to build up a surplus, so that now men might be dismissed later. In cross-examination ho said ho bad no personal feeling against the new men, but his feeling toward the strikebreakers was one of disfavour. Counsel: Have you referred to new men as scabs? Witness: Possibly.