A Disgraceful Breach of Faith.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 6775, 12 February 1890, Page 3

A Disgraceful Breach of Faith.

♦ Under this heading the Wellington Ewnrng Post says: — On Thursday, Jan. 30,. a deputation, consisting of Messrs Fisher and Newman, MJI.B.'s,, and Mi- Gillon, who had been appointed at a meeting of railway employees the previous evening, waited upon the Chief Commissioner of Eailwayß (Mr M'Kerrow) and Mr Commissioner Hannay to ask that the voting on the Eailway Employees Bill should be by ballot, and thai the voting-papers should be returned direct ta the Commissioners instead of through the local officers. Mr M'Kemow professed to see no difficulty in complying with these requests,, and Mr Hannay apparently concurred.. The Chief Commissioner promised to consult his colleagues and Bend an early reply* and the interview terminated with a reiterated promise to thiß effect. As we pointed out yesterday, no reply has been received, after the lapse of a week. This ■was sufficiently discourteous to the employees and those who represented them, but worse remains to be told. The original and obnoxious open voting papers were not to be returned till Feb. 14. Yesterday a notice was put up in the railway Bhops and offices ordering the voting papers— filled up and signed — to be returned to the local officers to-day. Have Mr Chief Commissioner M'Kerrow and Mr Commissioner Hannay deliberately broken faith with the deputation, or have they, in fear and trembling, had to succumb to the overriding influence of Mr Commissioner Maxwell? This ia a question which naturally arises out of the circumstance. The answer, whatever it is, must be utterly discreditable to the Commissioners as a body. We strongly advise the railway employees t« utterly disregard the order now posted up.