RAILWAY INSURANCE BILL.

Auckland Star, Volume XXIV, Issue 174, 25 July 1893, Page 5

RAILWAY INSURANCE BILL.

DEPUTATION TO THE PREMIER, (BX TELEGRAPH.—PARLIAMENTARY REPORTEfI.) Wellington, this day. The Conference with ths Premier on tltf subject of Railway Insurance Bill was at* tended by fourteen delegates. Mr MeKenna, chairman of the Conference, said that Mr Gray, secretary, would read the address agreed to bo presented, and would answer any questions Mr Seddon might put on the subject of of the Bill. After reading the address Mr Gray in reply to the Premier stated the effect of the various amendments proposed in the Bill. On the clause stipulating that broken service should be counted as continuous, Mr Gray explained that this was to meet the case of men who might have gone on strike and re-entered the ierrice, also the case of workshops men who had frequently broken time. The Premier asked if this would apply to the future as well as the past. Mr Mo Karrow, Chief Commissioner, said it would, though ib was intended to refer more to ths past than the future, and to meet the caso of men who had been on strike and returned to the railway service. A provision was made in the Bill as to certificates of past service, but the Board of Management would have power to make by-laws to meet) that and other detail questions that would arise. Mr McKerrow agreed with Mr Gray's estimate that £5,000 per annum would be the amount of Governmenb subsidy at 15 per cent, on the contributions of the present railway service. In concluding his statement, Mr Gray said the deputation approached the Premier with confidence on this subject, because in 1883 he (Mr Seddon) had introduced the Railway Bill, which proposed a scheme of insurance, and it was considered by the employees a very good Bill. The Premier said the present scheme, if adopted, would assume very large proportions in future years. What about the coat of departmental management of the fund 1 Mr McKerrow said the cosb would ba practically nothing. Their contributions would be deducted from the monthly pay sheets, and the payment of sick and retiring allowances would work automatically. He added . that the Commissioners were desirous that the scheme should be Bolf-supporting, i.e., thab the men's contributions should meet sick and other payments, and that a Government guarantee of stability was the main thing to be desired. Friendly Societies, of course, had similar benefit schemes, bub they were not always financially sound, and it might happen that men after paying for the best part of their lives, might find the Society unable to meet itsengagements. The Premier asked if the proposed benofits and contributions under the-Bill were based upon ac'tur'iai examination. Mr McKerrow said the Bill as drafted by the Commissioners was so based, but, of course, the amendments proposed by the Conference would make a great difference. Copies of last year's liill had been sent to every person in the railway service, numbering 4,500, and of these 1,597 had replied expressing approval of the measure, which could thus be said to fairly represent the opinion of the service. The Premier said the position taken up by the Conference on this question waa unique, and, he might say, unprecedented. A large number of servants of the colony meeting in Wellington to consider legislation affecting themselves while Parliament was in session was a new departure of which he did nob altogether approve, but, as the Commissioners had accepted the responsibility of that course, he had nothing more to say. The Premier asked for information as to how delegates to the Conference were appointed. Three replied they were appointed by public meetings, and two said they wera chosen by Committees elected ab public meetings of employees. Mr Sedcion said he did nob wish each delegate to reply, bub would be glad to have information as to how many delegates in all were appointed by public meetings. No reply was, however, made to his requeet for this information. The Oacoaru delegate, speaking from 28 years' experience of Friendly Societies, expressed the opinion that the passage of this Bill would nob prejudicially affect such societies, if the proposed amendment was retained making sick benefits payable out of the railway revenue. He agreed ib would be reasonable for the Government to consider the interests of Friendly Societies. Another delegate quoted from tho Hansard report of a speech made by Mr Seddon on the Railway Bill in 1883, in 1 reply to what the Premier had said about) the attitude of the Conference being unprecedented. In his address ten years ago Mr Soddon had referred to the fact that railway employees in Victoria had met in Conference, and approved of insuranco proposals similar to those in his Bill. The Premier said ho adhered to what ho had said about the unique nature of the recent conference in Wellington, and_ thab in no way contradicted what he said in ISS3. On the motion of Mr McKerrow, the deputation thanked the Premier and withdrew after an interview lasting an hour. The general impression conveyed is that the Premier is hostile to the Bill and there is no prospect of its being taken up by tha Government in its present shape.