THREE HOURS OUT.

Auckland Star, Volume LI, Issue 76, 29 March 1920, Page 4

THREE HOURS OUT.

SHORT TRAMWAY STRIKE. COMPLAINTS AGAINST ADMINISTRATION. FARE COLLECTION" AND STANDINGREGULATION'S. JUDGMENTS RECONSIDERED. Quick action was taken by the Auck- I land traniwaymcn on Saturday night to bring immediate remedy for certain ' grievances. They announced .1 strike, and soon after seven o'clock began to run the cars back to the barns. There was no service for three hours, and in 1 the meantime the Mayor of Auckland, Mr. J. H. Ounson, took speedy action , himself to meet the moods of the men, and have the trams running again. About ten o'clock the service was restored, after the Mayor and the Tramways Union executive had made a pact to consider the complaints the next day. The Mayor was acting on behalf of Hr. ' .7. J. Walklate, general manager of the Tramways Department, because this gentleman is at present indisposed. The grievance behind the strike con- ( cerned a matter of administration. It was not an official move, but a strike by the men as individuals, and made be- j cause they considered that several motormen and conductors had been too harehly dealt with when charged with j breaking regulations of the service. ' In ! accordance with the covenant entered into on Saturday evening, the Mayor, with tramway officers, met the 'president, secretary and executive of the ; union on Sunday morninp. and in a con--1 foronce that continued all day and for a ! short space of time in the evening, the ; individual cases that had caused the 'strike were reopened and reconsidered. The 3trike was short lived, and it affected comparatively few of the people who were relying upon the evening service. The cars did not cease till most of the amusement crowd was in town, and the service was restored in time to take the people hack to their homes. But the occurrence has had the effect of bringing into prominenec two questions regarding Auckland's municipal tramways. The public as well as the conductors are immediately concerned with the question of fare "collection. The tramwaymen, even more than the public, are immediately concerned with the matter of a new* set of regulations to govern the operations of the service. ! DECISIONS RECONSIDERED. j : After sitting in conference from ten till four on Sunday, and for a further, term in the evening, the .Mayor gave out a lengthy statement covering the incident. In the course of this Mr. Gunson statee that he was informed of tho strike on •Saturday evening t)V ( the traffic manager, and immediately : went to the Kpeoin, and then the Pon-| sonby barn, and addressed the men as-J eembled. lie proposed "That the men i forthwith resume work, in consideration! of which I would undertake to personally' and immediately investigate the posi-, tion and to see that decisions were enforced in accordance with what, in my judgment, was right and proper." This was accepted and the service, was resumed. ■- • ■ ■•'■-> • ._-«.— Yesterday the conference began and ended, and in the individual cases com-' plained of, and brought under review, the I Mayor decided as follows:— ' ■•(1) Motorman Beacham and Con-i, ductors .foil and Bellamy.—That j Beailmms penalty be cancelled. He is j it third officer motorman with IS years' ( service. The record as to this incident to be deleted from the files. Joll's suspension is upheld. In my opinion j Bellamy should have been similarly dealt 1 with, both being joint conductors on twin cars, and although llie matter in , question proved trifling in its result, j yet it was fraught with certain import- 1 ance, in view of the regulations govern- . ing this matter and the possibility of. , severe damage. Xole.— It is admittedly j and unquestionably the duty of the , motormau on single cars to attend to , the trolley pole, and of conductors on • twin cars to attend to the trolley pole. ' " (-1 Motorniiin Christie.—To be j medically examined, and if the medical certificate proves him to be fit and able , to discharge the responsible duties of , motorman, he to resume his former posi- • tion. If, on the other hand, the report 1 indicates otherwise, the question as to his continuance in the service and ac to i what position to be left to the , general manager's decision. Note.— ■ This motorman has previously been medically examined on behalf of ■ the company, and from the officers' j point (if view they were justified in making the deci»ion tiiev did, but at the same time the circumstances under ■ which it wae taken were not those that • should have been the occasion for the ; action taken. Obviously the just way i i≤ to follow the course now decided upon.\l "(3) Motorman Christmas and Conductor Howell.—Both to resume work , forthwith and lose no pay. Note. —In 1 this case the question devolved itself into : one incident, namely, an individual tra.- 1 veiling on the front platform and the 1 non-collection of a fare. Had the belief : of the officers been established they • would have been quite justified, but their conclusions wore immaturelv formed. • ttith regard io .Motorman Chrietmas, the ' issue appears simple and clear. Under • any circumstances the individual could •! lint have been on the fnmt platform for more than a few minutes, for even under tho officers belief he was previously on the. rear. T think the suspension'here was unwittingly disproportionate to tho . offence established. With regard to Conductor Howeii, if it v Mi that the individual got on the car at Pitt Street and travelled to the reservoir [ am of opinion that there was no dere- ; liction 0.1 the part o f the conductor, in ! the, circumstances of a full car, in not collecting the fare by the time th.c car ■ reached the reservoir, tbe conductor at the time hem? two-thirds awa v through the car , n the course of his collection. If these conditions are accepted, as it appears to mc they must be. nothing furHoweYl "• c , e -: tabli * ho(l - It i s true" that Howell had been previously cautioned or the m-n-collection of fares; but after full consideration I am of opinion that 1 the incident under review was not wilful hS a " CrrOr ° f on How ells part in not immediate! v pro-' -•eedmsT to collect his fares, which he should have done. This latter case, however, doo. not form the cause of «usnensiop under review.' euspen DISCIPLINE AND REGULATION'S. Jlr. Guneon points o ut the difficulties ' he had to face in the speedy settlement ' of the trouble, difficulties that were enhanced by the indisposition of Mr. Walklate. In .particular, the Mayor puts ■ emphasis upon the fact that' in all matters of administration due discipline and necessary authority- must he upheld. Up suites:—-'On this phase of the question I have fully discussed the matter

with the representatives of -the men, who admit Ireely the necessity, at aH inzards, for the proper maintenance oi iiscipline in the service and the impera* tive obligation of respecting tho authority of the tramway officers. Witty out this principle permeating tbe serrice it would be impossible to carry on. for under any other condition a chaotic state would soon make itself felt. This fundamental condition has not in any way been overlooked: Uβ necessity 13 ilike realised by the council and officers and men/ The suggestion of a new set of regulations to govern the conditions throughout the service was another point arougbt tip to the light. This baa llready received some attention, as Mr. CJunson's remarks will show. "With rejrard to the new set of regulations governing the conditions throughout tiie eervice. the. company was waiting for _tht; Public Worke Department's conditions, and the council. ;incc acquiring the service, has likewise DPen expect ing to complete revised regulations. However, it is realised that these cannot be further delayed, and at the earliest date new and revised regulations will be completed; at the Fame time it is hoped to issue a new rule-boole on modern and up-to-date line?. •Throughout the investigation I hare carefully noted many points, including the opinions expressed and views hnkt about the Tram-way Appeal Board. All matters arising out of th- investigation will be referred to the p-i. .al manager upon his return to duty." COLLECING FARES. A POLICY STATEMENT. The question of fare collection t'nat is naturally involved in some of these individual cases ha; prompted the Mayor to make a definite policy statement upon the mutter. This is given in jxtenso:— "■With regard to the collection of iar«, I feel it is my duty ..0 arid, in view of what has come under notive during the inquiry, that the corporation expecta the utmost diligence on the part of conductors .in thi-s matter, and the officers of the council will he quite justified where carelessness or dereliction of dtttr. With consequent iwn-collection of is established to promptly deal wittt such cases. This is admitted by the representatives of the union and th£ men whom I met to-day, and is embraced in, the undertaking which they .have given mc in the matter of duly respecting authority and upholding discipline throughout the service, whiiih means (Aβ faithful discharge of duty. "In this matter of fares the counc.4 does not desire to adopt any unreasonable attitude: it is realised in the conditions of traffic in Auckland that the conductor's lot at times is arduous, and that even the most skilled has a, heavy task to ecme with *he d-emande frequently made upon him. Howeverv after every allowance is made for tibia* I feel that the council is justSSed in appealing to the men for the fiiUeet diligence in and prompt attention to this important matter. The public are requested for their part to reasonabiy assist the conductors , , particularly where their journey is over a short section and the conditions of traffic heavy.