Labour Men In Position.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7409, 2 November 1892, Page 2

Labour Men In Position.

Wb hear much of the trouble in the ! Carmaux mine in France. It will be newa to moat people that the whole business grew originally out of the

jealousy of the mine manager. One of the ': workmen named Calvignac having been ! elected Mayor of the town, took precedence | at Bocial functions of the manager, Mr i Humblot — evidently " a numble man, sir," !as Uriah Heap used to say. The small i soul of the " numble man " took umbrage, and eventually got worked np to dismiss ; the Mayor, on the ground that his applica- ; tion for leave for two days every week for I his Municipal duties waß not to be thought ! of. The men, of course, all stood by their j comrade ; the Directors stood by the ! manager, because their bell wether raised ; the cry of" Dictation." Now that surely '■ is a most indefensible situation, which com- ! mon sense ought to have provided against. ■ It has not done so, and the Statute Book j ought to provide a remedy. The time is gone j by for caprice to be the arbiter between I the most important human interests. There is of, course, an obvious difficulty in the way. For example, Mr Earnßhaw declares that he cannot get back into his old posifcidn in the Hillside workshops because he is a member of Parliament, and outspoken at that. The probability is that foe other side has a good deal to say in support of itß contention that the membership has nothing to do with the matter. Who is to decide? One thing is quite certain, the day has come when workmen are recognised as fit to occupy political and municipal representative positions. The law should therefore recognise that their occupation of these positions does not expose them to the loss of their bread and butter. The Payment of Members Act has arranged a protection in politics, but there is nothing in municipal life to prevent a repetition of the Carmaux episode.