THE COMMONWEALTH.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXXVII, Issue 9126, 23 October 1917, Page 6

THE COMMONWEALTH.

TRANS-CONTINENTAL RAILWAY

ADELAIDE, Oct. 22. The Transcontinental Railway has linked up. The first east-to-west train left, to-day.

The construction of the East-West Railway, has produced some remarkable examples of workmen's strikes (states the Melbourne " Age"). Tools, have been "downed" because of an un-

avoidable increase in the board tariff at the departmental bparding-houses. On another occasion operations were brought to. a standstill: for. the reason that the supervising engineer had a boarding-house removed a few miles further along the route of railway. Then again a strike was declared because the department refused to pay the, men for three, days during which they were idle whilst the boardinghouse, dispute was being settled. The latest cessation, however, is decidedly theTliinit. A ganged; aroused the resentment of a gang of platelayers by using "language towards them, and they went • off. the jpbv in a. body when the supervising engineer declined to dismiss the official.! This heinous offence, so, objectionable to the delicate ears of the sensitive platelayers, happened at Woocalla. The Minister of Works and Railways, however, has smoothed the troubled waters by removing the gang,. to another section of the. line, where presumably the gnnger in charge is judged to possess a more refined vocabulary. It is to be honed sincerely that this oversecfr will not overstep the mark on the other side by -voting Scripture to his men, lost ho should produce another pretext for a lazy strike.