CORRESPONDENCE.

Taranaki Daily News, 30 September 1925, Page 11

CORRESPONDENCE.

SEAMEN’S STRIKE.

(To the Editor.)

Sir, —.As members of the local waterside workers’ union, I, and a very large number of my fellow workmates, take very strong exception to the manner in which the members of our executive are still making 'themselves so very busy among the striking seamen at our port. In fact, it is getting that bad that we will not tolerate it much longer. Just fancy Mr. Fulton having the nerve to come along and ask us all individually to subscribe 2s 6d to the fund for keeping these men in idleness, especially after the wages we have been drawing lately. There are over 200 of us on the union, and I don’t suppose' the wages bill for this week would be more than about £Bt) divided among the lot of us. Why, this week some of the men have not earned 2s 6d, and they have wives and families to keep. It would pay Mr. Fulton and his gang to look after their own men first without troubling about others who have absolutely no interest in the place whatever, but, no; they can’t do that. —they are just glorying in the hold-up, and think they are going to get the public sympathy in helping these men. They never made a bigger mistake in their lives. To show that the seamen are not unanimous, I was talking to one of the seamen on the wharf a few mornings ago, and he distinctly said that he was fed up with the whole business and would gladly get back to work, for there is no sense or reason in going on like this. He said; "We were supposed to have had a meeting in your room this morning. Yes, we went in all right, but I was fed up entirely. Talk about a meeting I Why, all the talk at the meeting was done by two men, your chairman and secretary.” Now, Sir, if what this man says is eorre'ct—and I believe it to be so —why should our room be used by these extremists for holding these meeting for the purpose of keeping our port blocked. I wonder if the harbour board would put up with 'this if they knew. Now, my fellow mates, I think it is high time that we -woke up and gave them the bump they are looking for. We are in a huge majority and are loyal citizens who believe in bowing to the grand old flag (the Union Jack) and not the Red Flag, as they believe in singing to. The annual meeting will be faking place shortly when a new executive will be elected. Let us nominate for these positions men whom we know can be relied upon to do the right thing by us, not men like we have had during this last term, who, when they have got their hats on have got their home. If it was not for the way these striking seamen are being encouraged by these extremists, this strike would have fizzled out long ago, and we -would have been earning good money, judging by the large number of ships that have been booked up for here. < However, while things are allowed to go on as they are at present, the port, the town and country in general, and we wa-ter-siders, who are quite willing to work, will have to stand the loss.

Another little matter wanting explanation is that some little time ago I gave, along with my mates, the sum of 2s 6d towards a fund for providing comforts in the way of reading matter, fruit, tobacco, etc., for our mates up in the hospital, the sum of about £2O being collected. There were quite a number of our men in the hospital at the time, and I understand one man is still under treatment. You ean imagine our disgust when, after making careful inquiries, we' find that these men have never received as much as sixpence wbrt'h of oranges, nor even has a visit been paid to them. Why is it? Perhaps it is because these men are not of the Red element that they have been neglected, but when we as workmates subscribe to a. fund for a specific purpose we expect that purpose to be carried out. Sir, I would like to ask just one little question: Could you inform us who is footing the bill for the tuckering of these striking seamen! We understand it amounts to about £4O per week. —-I am, etc., A WATERSIDES.