A GERMAN EMPLOYEE.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume V, Issue 1309, 24 April 1918, Page 8

A GERMAN EMPLOYEE.

HIS CO-WORKERS OBJECT. PREFER TO LEAVE THEIR JOB. TROUBLE AT AVONSIDE. Trouble due to the employment of an alleged German has arisen at the wool-scouring works of Mr T. T. Robson at Avonside. According to the story of the men, as they related it to the secretary of their union, the firm employs a man named Slander in the fellmongery department. For a long time there have been feelings of objection on the part of the men generally against having to work alongside Stamler, whose presence they resent as an insult to their nationality and patriotism. Recently this feeling has become intensified, and matters reached a crisis on Monday morning, when a

man named G. Altopt, on being set to work alongside of Stamler, refused to do so. The foreman reported the matter to the office and returned saving that the instruction was that Altopt, must work with Stamler. The man refused, and was promptly dismissed. Three other men in turn were then ordered to work with Stamler, and each refused, and was thereupon dismissed. The men state that they do not object so much to the man having employment on the premises as they do to having to work with him. When engaged at painting and trimming the pelts men must work in pairs, and it is at this particular work that the men take such strenuous objection to working with Stamler. They also allege that he was dismissed from the railway goods sheds because the men refused to work with him. The men who have been dismissed, in addition to Altopt, are L. Armstrong, A. Eden and H. Godfrey. They assert that the rest of the employees are prepared to take similar action.

THE EMPLOYER'S SIDE. When the matter was mentioned to Mr Robson by a Sun representative this morning, he stated that | Stamler had been employed by him for two years, and it was not until.) this trouble developed that he was aware of the fact that the man was | a German. The other men had worked alongside" of him previously, I and had never before raised any complaint about it. , He knew, however, that there had' been some feeling against Stamler because of some remark that he had' made, or was alleged to have made, - concerning a question of wages. Mr Robson remarked that he had lost his own son at the war, and could not be accused of having any sympathy with the Germans. Neither had he any wish to employ Germans, but he would point out that Stamler, although he was born in Germany, had a Serbian father and a German mother, had spent 33 years in Australasia, and had served 11 years as an Australian sailor and five years as a member of the Australian Naval Reserve. He had lived 15 years in Christchurch, and his only son had enlisted in the New Zealand Expeditionary Forces, and was now serving at the front. When Stamler's son enlisted he was only 18* years of age, and his father might have prevented, him from going, but he did not. Stamler himself had volunteered for the Navy at the time of the Russian scare some years ago. Stamler had never taken up an anti-British attitude. Mr Robson said that the incident was very unpleasant for him, and the Government should say what was to be done with these men. If the Government were to say that men like Stamler were not to be employed he would accept the position gladly, but it was impossible for him to allow his employees to take up the position they had adopted in this - matter and refuse to work with a man they, were instructed to work with. It was for the Government or someone in authority to lay down what was to be done with such men, and whether or not they should be refused work. If it said that they should be put off he would not object.

He was not going to allow the men to decide the matter. The work had to be done to a considerable extent in pairs, and it was hard to keep a man absolutely to himself. Stamler ws not naturalised, but had sworn allegiance when he joined the Naval Reserve, and when the war broke out he had applied for naturalisation papers. These, however, were refused, in accordance with the general policy of the Government at the time. Stamler had not taken up an anti-British attitude, and to all intents and purposes was a British subject. The position was a very hard one tor the firm, and he could not understand why the men had worked alongside Stamler at