THE CO-OPERATIVE SYSTEM.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2480, 20 April 1909, Page 6

THE CO-OPERATIVE SYSTEM.

[To The Editor.] r, —A letter published a few week’s in your.- valuable journal exposing defective co-operative system seems to have improved matters a great j. The Labor Department informs they are doing their best for the . employed under the co-operative em; system, as it is called, but I to differ. In the first place, why j man. New Zealand born, refused k, and an immigrant given the priy&? Has not the man who has l bred and born in the Dominion the t right to be employed; or I should he should be placed on the same ing as the immigrant. Why is this done ? Under the present state, of irs the immigrant has the privi-

. Then again when a man is emed on Public Works or anywhere he should ha-vo the privilege of ing when it suits him, but on some nr Public Works a man cannot do If he wants a couple of days off must almost go on his knees and beg then he is sometimes refused and if he. wants a few days off to do e business he must go t is the way men are treated on the lorne-Motu railway construction ks. Men would be' nearly as well in prison. Even in prison a man demand a reasonable hearing, and r one do not think that the co-ope-jve system was intended for men emred under it to bo slaves or prisonProbably one cause of this business jecaiiso wo have i-oo many so-callccl lials, or what the navvy terms Innican Bosses.” Those men I veto are timekeepers, overseer’s astnt, storekeepers, and some are classis inspectors. How they have been ed in those positions I am at a lo=s know. I can eav with every conuce that some of them do not know much as a school hoy in "fclio third ■claril. But still they hold responj, positions. A timekeeper, for niice is supposed to take the men s 3 or at least, that is wliat he is pa> d Ho is not supposed to have tne er to dismiss a man on the rvorks oi i to threaten dismissal, but, neveress, this timekeeper has done some ; funny things of late. Probably an nirv into this matter from the head he Public Works Department would fr the position. Then the men emred on the Gisborne-Motu railway itruction works may get a little fair r which they are badly m need. A instances as to how things are nia ed at the mam railway camp, Goff E -k. In an interview with an cmfee a few davs ago lie informed mo mpUtata* ~ of Mf ton to saj' l>y cmng * ,?,om t Engineer, some 14 miles anaj lrom „ -you con’d always bo assured of lity .or any thing you required would sive prompt attention as far as the ;iueer was concerned, but the official irs were often neglected. At Gold dc, of course, the workman is given o lame excuse, which he may believe lot. I then inquired from ibis cm■e'e did lie think there was not suffit staff at Gold Creek to cope with work. His reply was: “We have many bosses;” that is why things 'neglected, and added that some of n were after the “old women” type i were fonder of looking after other tie’s business more than their own lso negligence goes on. Trusting may cause a little inquiry into the ictive co-operative system,—l am, “FAIR PLAY.” bid Creek, April 14-th.