THE CONDUCTOR HOG.

NZ Truth, 4 January 1908, Page 4

THE CONDUCTOR HOG.

Tram-conductors, by the very nature of their employment, should cultivate the virtue of patience. Some are certainly sorely tried. Some are veritable Jobs. Others are pigs and. think the public .generally are a; lot of dogs who deserve cuffs and cusses for vehturin-g to speak to the hog. Civility from some of these uniformed animals is out of the question, and the wonder is that there are so few assaults on the pigs from a justifiably exasperated traveller. All conductors certainly are not alike. There are gentlemen among . them,\and the gentleman who recently exhausted his patience and advised a slow-going old dame to "shake. a leg," ami got the nack for his gallantry, is to be sympathised with. Some of these cocky r-liaps Eqem to forget that they v 'are the servants of the people, and perhaps it is because they are public servants that -they treat their employees so sciirvily. Now, a nice complaint has reached "Truth" concerning the behaviour of conductor 328 and a motonmari. According to "Truih's" informant, a youiig and respectable man nairifvd Gunn was, on Boxing Day at Miramar, without rhyme or reason, 'baffed m the teeth by Conductor Mr 328, while Mr Motorman held him from behind. No reason is assigned for this cowardly assault. The facts, . together with the names of various qnloolcefs, have been sent into the authorities, and Mr 328 and 'llrc motorman' should b 6 made an example of. An assault on a tramway employee. . is regarded as serious, and is severely punished, but seldom,; is a cowardly conductor of the : 32S> type given his deserts; tic should be hauled before the Magistrate and taught a much-needed lesson. The conductor hog is becoming ynbearable m Weil'ngton,' and the sooner he is relegated to his- proper position and taught to be civil and respectful to passengers; the better will it be for all concerned. Tt is easy to get a conductor sacked if influence, is brought to bear, and some conduct ors have been unjustly dealt with because snob influence was too strong. The conductor lias to put up with much impudence, nevertheless he has to expect it; ''and J should lie stai?t o.\it-':biff-ina; on his own account, it's his own funeral.