LABOUR AND THE CITY COUNCIL.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13846, 8 March 1907, Page 7

LABOUR AND THE CITY COUNCIL.

Sin,—l notice in your report of the meeting of tho independent Political Labour League that Mr R. lireoti makes an unwarranted use of my name in an endeavour to belittle un opponent and tho present members of the City Council. His opponent and tho council are quite able to protect themselves from his invectives, ami I myself have not as yet dabbled in municipal matters. I do not object to Mr lireen 'being personal—it is his characteristic and his wayof appealing to Iho gallery. What I do object to, however, are his intentional misstatements and tho use of. my name to further his own objccts. First, he accuses lno of having slated during- tho hearing of the tramway dispulo " lliat tho men would ]x> from £12 to £15 per annum better off." What I did say was that tho .7idenco of tho tram management would prove such to bo tho case, which it did, and subsequent events proved it lo 1)« correct, Why did not Mr Brcen say that tho tramway managers said so? No doubt he has his own Teaeons; so havo I, Second, for Mr lireen to infer that liecauso the working expenses had been reduced Iho mon's wages must havo been also, is, liko most of Ills arguments, most unfair, a 6 Mr Brcen well knows that owing lo tho faster operating of tho care, and tho altered time-tables, tho working expenses would have Ixot reduced in any case, award or no award, and that the men aro much better olf notwithstanding. It is true that not so many men aro required, but that is beside the point. Third, how Mr lireen can snv that the tramways will show a profit of ±15000 this year, alter the evidence ho listened to in court, is beyond my comprehension. It was then shown by expert ami reliable evidence that 4J per cent, would not nearly cover the depreciation and renewal accounts, that some of tho companies at Homo and in . America were ullowing from 6 per cent, to 10 per cent., ami wero now finding that tlio allowance was not sufficient. Both Mr Breen and his oolleague admitted that they did not understand tramway finance, and complained of tho companies blinding tho case with figures that they did not understand. Yet now, forsooth, Mr Breen poses as an expert, ,iiid asks the ratepayers to hand over to himself and friends tho £300,000 worth'of tramway plant, so that they may show how tho tramways should he worked. Query, Will the ratepayers' of Dunedin do so? I'ourlh, Mr Brccu rays: "Tho position of the gas stokers was fjo bad owing to the attitude of the Gas Committco that tho men had to form a union and file a caso for tho Arbitration Court. Tho committco afterwards met the men and came to an agreement, in which was embodied preference, to unionists, and ho was Kitisfiwl tho solo reason for that was tho publicity that would Iw given lo tho matter if jt went to tho Arbitration Court." Now, if this had boon true, which it is not, it docs not say much for tho sincerity of Mr Brcen's wish to return to the days of conciliation. This kind of oriticism will not help him to bring back those days. Tho Gas Committee, however, never met tho men or itimo lo any agreement with them. The men never complained of tho action of tho Gas Committee, but of tho then gas engineer. Por that agreement. Mr Hungerford and myfself aro solely responsible. In this statement I am sure tho men themselves will boar mo out. If the ratepayer of Dunedin really want to know how tho city could bo run municipally, with municipal meat, municipal bread, munioipal milk, etc., apart from our already largo undertakings, I would recommend them to givo Mr Brceu and his frienda the chance. 1 am suro it would be educational, if not in Iho best ■•interests of all concerned.—l am. etc., ' William Scott. March 7.