TRAMWAY DISPUTE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26530, 4 August 1947, Page 4

TRAMWAY DISPUTE

STATEMENT CRITICISED CR McCRAE REPLIES TO PRESIDENT “Mr Richards seems to be hard put to it to find any satisfactory criticism of the statement I made to the press,” said Cr McCrae, chairman of the Transport Committee, in an interview with the Daily Times yesterday. He referred to three points raised by Mr W. B. Richards, president of the New Zealand Tramways Union, in reply to criticism of the interim decision on the national tramways dispute. “ In the first place Mr Richards goes to Auckland and Wellington to try to disprove my statement that it takes only 10 days to qualify as a tram conductor,” said Cr McCrae. “If he looked at the Dunedin award, he would see that it is stated that ‘ conductors starting in service shall be paid the award rate of wages.’ That means that during the 10 days’ training period the men are paid the award rate, and after six months Id an hour more, which is the highest rate paid to any conductor.” Cr McCrae said that- he had not criticised the qualifications of Mr Rigg. the Conciliation Commissioner. He had, however, the Minister of Labour for over-riding the Arbitration Court and appointing a tribunal with a chairman with full power to give a decision on the points in disThe third point raised by Cr McCrae referred to the statement made by Mr Richards that he (Cr McCrae) had refused to meet the union to negotiate a local award. “ I did refuse to meet the union,” he said. “ I considered that it was a waste of time to do so when a Dominion award was in process of being negotiated, as it would immediately have superseded any local award.”