Letters to the Editor

Belmore Street, July 4, 1921

Sir – A letter appeared in your last issue purporting to come from the pen of a genuine Trade Unionist.

He endeavours to hide his name, rather cowardly, under a nom de plume, but his mask is so much perforated with his many inconsistent sayings and writings since he came to Enniskillen, that he is very easily recognised from the ordinary citizen.

Well, he commences to give the people of Enniskillen a problem of commercial economy – and note, this ‘Trade Unionist’ confesses it beats him entirely.

The problem seems to me very simple, and only requires a short explanation.

Suit No. 1 (his office chum’s), is cut and made in Enniskillen under fair Trade Union conditions, which enables the cutter and worker to turn out the suit properly, and to keep up the reputation of Enniskillen for good tailoring.

Suit No. 2 (his son’s), is made under unfair conditions by reorganised workers.

Suit No. 3 (for the trade Unionist himself), is made under even worse conditions, by non-Union workers.

Now, does he expect the people of Enniskillen to believe that his suit is as well made at 30s as the Enniskillen suit at £2 15s – not £2 13s as he states – and note, so genuine a ‘Trade Unionist’ is he, that he flies away from fair Trade Union conditions, to seek the worst (and of course, the cheapest) conditions he can find, and yet, he makes his living practically from among the workers?

In conclusion, I would advise him to at least have the decency not to use the name of ‘a Trade Unionist’ for such a purpose, or yet to attempt a criticism of something he apparently knows nothing about.

Yours,

Edward Lally, Shop Steward.