CORRESPONDENCE.

Timaru Herald, Volume LI, Issue 4932, 3 September 1890, Page 3

CORRESPONDENCE.

THE BAILWAY AND THE WHABF

LABOURERS.

10 THE EDITOR OF THE TIMARU HERALD,

Sib, — Our new mombor has spoken m the tho Douse ; read a rrisguiding telegram from Timaru, and made his remarks thereon as por cutting from today's Press here appended: — "Mr Hull-Jones read a telegram from Timuru to tho. effeol. that tho railway employees had been instructed to do tho work of wharf labourers at that place, and ho considered this a very undcsirablo thing. The Government op tho House should do nothing, ho considered, to embitter tho parties m the labour difficulty." Mr HallJones, iiu a representative of a district like ours, ought to know that the Railway Department as common carriors, on tihiDg roueipt of goods at any placo for delivery on a vessel loading at Timaru whurf, aro under contract to deliver BUch goods m condition as received, to the vessel m reasonable time, the delivery boing considered as completed whon the goods are m the slings or on the top of the shoot loading to the vessel. Now this work is dono by railway servants m railway pay, ihe wages being Blightly lower than those paid to the wharf labourers working tho ship. Generally the samo mon are employed, not as permanent hands, but as casual servants of the Bnilway Department. These men wore called on to do their usual work ldadilig tbo Aih'triore, ; but belonging to the union wore called out, tho reason given, that the truoks were loaded by " free labour," alias blacklegs, ilt is not. my intention to go into this particular case of "calling out;" the publio will mako up its mind about it shortly, but what I want to point out is that Mr Hall's words were ill-advised and Miowoi want of knowledge of tho subject bo was speaking on. The Railway Department, finding that their casual servantß wero not available to fulfil their contract with shippers, Bent down somo of their regular employees whose time could be cparctl (for goodness knows there is little doing m the railway yards just now) to discharge the trucks, so 1 fail to see how the Bailway Department is m any way to blame. The conduct of the eenior employees on tho occasion deserves all praise, |and it is only to bo regretted that a misrepresentation of facts, be it for party purposes or oMiorwific, should be tho basis of our new member^ muiden speech. I am, &c, A Daily Ebadbe. Timaru, September 2nd; 1890. LOADING TUE.ABHMOBU. TO THE BDITOE OP THE TIMAKU HERALD. Sib, — From what appoared m your paper tbis morning regarding the loading of the barque Ash moro, I beg to state that I don'tbelong to any uni >n whatever, but that I am an employer of labour ; and ns I have entered into a contract to load the barque, I am m duly bound to carry out that cuit.rnct. By insorling this explanation you will oblige. I am, &c, J. Wadb. Timaru, September 2nd. Tho municipal rulers of provincial Franco aro hoginning to ngitate for payment of members. At present they are modest m thoir dcainnds. They ask for £10 a year for tho mayor, the samn salary for his adjunct, and £*?pcr annum for each of the councillors. But a3 there are 3.6,000 communes m thnt country enjsying local government, nnd eauh of these wants an allowance of £S0 a year from the publio treasury, such a concession would involvo an addition of £2,880,000 to tho already enormous burdons of taxation imposed upon tho French poople. For centuries past the town of Artona, formerly known as Montefortino, m the Roman Campngna, has boon a nest of brieands.and so far back as the voar 1657, Popo Paul the 4th signod a decroe for tbo demolition of tho placo and tho expatriation of the inhabitants, but it was never carriod into execution. Recently however, the Italian Government has acted so vigorously, that no fewer than thirty-three of tbrso robbers and assassins have been captured, and are awaiting their trial. Somo idea rnny be formed of the nmnbir of crimes imputed to them from tho fact that tho depositions would fill a volume of 150 pages. ■