THE A.S.R.S. 'GENERATE SECRETARYSHIP.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19738, 15 March 1926, Page 13

THE A.S.R.S. 'GENERATE SECRETARYSHIP.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir,—-The telegraphed statement of Mr Mack, general secretary of the A.S.R.S., with le'erence to the preliminary ballot to see who shall bo eligible to contest the general secretaryship does not put the position correctly. It may be true that a member seeks the injunction, but he is supported by the Auckland branch of 700 members, both financially and morally. The branch itself cannot obtain an injunction. Instead of the issue "That the position shall be open to all members of the society" being No. 1 as stated by Mr Mack, it actually appears on the ballot paper as the third issue. Who decided that this issue should be No. 3 on the ballot papor, and why? It is hard to reconcile the statement that "The executive is merely consulting the membership on a matter of vital importance''— with its action, when it ignored members recently and paid out of the society's funds without any authority from conference a sum of nearly £4OO for the general secretary s superannuation. The position now is that members of rival unions, su.-.h as the Tradesmen's Association and some First Division members, will bo eligible to contest the A.S.R.S. secretaryship, no opportunity having been afforded members to vote them out. On the other hand members of the A.S.K.S. will run a risk of being excluded from nominating for office in their own union. Truly a fine illustration of the value placed by the present executive on the motto in front of the rule book, "All men are brcthern"! —I am, etc., A.S.K.S Member.