Nantwich, Sandbach & Crewe Star — 1890-01-25 ()

CHAS. DUCE. 6, Sanford-terrace, Stoke -Newington, London. January 10th, 1890  WHY DID THE LATE MR THOS ALLISON LIVE CREWE RAILWAY WORKS?  A VOICE FROM THE GRAVE, To the Editor of the "Crewe Star."  Sir,—An account has been published of a nautili,. held by the riniths who work under Councillor Bebrbington, called " to express the indignation of the workmen against a etaternent made by Councillor Hodgson on January 9th 1890, at the Town Hall, Crewe, with respect to their foreman Mr J. Bebbington, who is stated to have interfeted in tile most dastardly way with Liberal workmen, and one poor fellow, Thomas Allison. who had worked under him, had lately committed suicide, and he had to leavi Crews because he could not to!erate the conditions ,Qt work there."  I presume that this was the notice, or park of it, which WllB posted up in the Smithy convening the meeting, and that the latter half of the notice purports to be a quotation from my speech in the Council Chamber. As I have not any report of my speech on that occasion before me as I write, I am quite willing to accept tha quotation as being an accurate extract, and readily accept the words as being those which I am said t have used on the occasion referred to. This meeting in the Smithy passed a resolution of a most interesting character, in wnich they spoke of the charges I hid made against their foreman as being " unwarrantable," and " void of all truth." One of the speakers who supported this rasolution stated that "he had worked at the next lire tl Alli3on in the signal shop, and hitd never bean interfered with by Ur Bebbington, nor bad the latter to his knowledge ever interfered. with Allison."  Now I hardly knew wl,ich to c3mpliment must—the foreman, for the admirable discipline he evidently has over his men, or tiLi intelligence of the letter who knonf so well apparently, what to say to please their foremAu and when to say it. Perhaps the best thing I can do under the circumstances is to let the late Mr Allison speak for himself,  I think that even the man who woiked next to him will begin to think he spoke a little too soon. when he reads Allison's own vcrsion of the reasons which constrained him to leave Crewe Works.  The following extract front a letter—and I have the original in my possession—which was written by the late Mr Allison to one of his children, gives a very clear statement of the reasons which induced him to seek a fresh situation.  58, Clietwode-street December, 2nd 1889  My dear -- After giving this matter long and deep consideration, I have resolved ta accept the' terms of Ur --, viz. :-325., and piecework, providing always that the latter consideration be fairly regular. It is not without "a most acute pang" that I accept such a great reduction in waekly wages, but I feel almost sure it is only a question of time before my arch-enemy will find some pr text or other to dig-Marge me. It is notorious throughout the place that I am most bitterly boycotted. As an instance thereof, I am and have been for a length of time, nearly solely engaged in new work, each and every particula- job I have introinced some improvement Li its manufacture to gain economy in material, time and labour, and cumformlty.  All these efforts, however, are abortive in gaining me either recognition or fair play, and I have been given to understand by Mr --, that there is ,no hope whatever, that I shall be other than day-wiFic. Mr -, a personal friend, and who is in consequence favourably dispostd towards me, boa told me diatinctly in confidence, that it is the bad feeling J. 13, bears me that prevents a more li,ppy issue. I rimy here toll you that lately I have competed orders of various kinds to the following extent, one of 500, one of 300. two of 200, one of 100, and have now in band two orders of 200 each, which will occupy one under existing circumstances some five weeks or t,o. This in itself- may seem frivolous to cause annoyance, but marla am the only man in the shop with my mate, who is utterly exempt from making something extra some time or other, including the labourers and boys. The boys are always piece-work, and the labourers have the same, or opportunities in other directions In consequence thereof, it causes mcch comment amongst my teliows, some of them of a vcry ludicrous character. T.