RAILWAY OFFICERS.

Auckland Star, Volume LIV, Issue 148, 23 June 1923, Page 11

RAILWAY OFFICERS.

ANNUAL MEETING OF THE INSTITUTE. THE CUTS IN SALARIES. The annual conference of the Railway Officers' Institute is at present sitting in Auckland. Mr. J. R. Robertson, the president is presiding and there are present: Messrs. R. S. Skinner, C. R. Bell, and F. McKay (vice-presidents), L. Barclay (treasurer), R. c. Morgan (general secretary), J. Carnaghan and B. Wylde (Auckland), H. B. Taylor (South Auckland), W. R. J. Stanley (Main Trunk), J. F. Stratford (Wanganui), N. X, Whisker (Palmereton North), F. \V. Aitken (Hawke's Bay), F. E. Hunt and M. J. Forde (Wellington), W. J. Smith and C. R. Watson (North Canterbury), H. G. C. Simmons (Westland), J. J. ' , McAloon (South Canterbury), T. JohnIston (Xorth Otago), A. T. Pitta way and M. Curran (Dunedin), and W. O'Mallcy (Invercargill). The annual report dealt with the quesition of salaries and bonus cuts and stated that the third cut wae abandoned largely thrdgh the vigorous opposition of the institute and other Government service organisations to the first and second cuts. The arrangement come to with the general manager to grant the I president and general secretary periodical interviews on institute matters had jbeen especially useful with respect to the representation of individual I grievance. A large number of cases were ■dealt with 'by this means and a 6ubistantial number of grievances satisfactorily adjusted. The president, in the course of his address, dealt with the salary cuts and claimed that the Prime Minister had taken an unreasonable attitude in basing the reductions on the food groups only. Based on figures for all groups tho cost of living on March 31 last was 5G per cent greater than in 1914 so that at present no further cuts could be inflicted. Very little progress had been made during the past year beyond the remedying of individual grievances and in making determined efforts to retain what had been gained in the past. It was for the conference to formulate a reasonable practical policy that would not go to extremes and that would prove satisfactory to all. He thought that strong endeavours should be made to have the increases granted during the war period, consolidated and not treated as .bonuses. An important question that the conference would be asked to deal with was the setting up of a tribunal on the linee of the Whitley Commission, a suggestion which the Government so far had refused to consider.