NEW ZEALAND RAILWAYS.

Press, Volume LXIV, Issue 13108, 6 May 1908, Page 10

NEW ZEALAND RAILWAYS.

♦ . CONDITIONS AND HOURS OP' {' LABOUR. INTERVIEW WITh'tWO OFFICIALS. -&.' ■ . 'JtzhIn conversation with a of "The Press"- at Timaru tiro railway officials of considerable ex- ; perionco stated in reply to a question as -to whether the Victorian railway - disaster had a lesson for New Zealand, that there was Tery little to complaiu of the New Zealand railways now. "We used to hold the belt at one time," thoy said, "for dangerous tracks and conditions of working, but things have improved greatly of late years." They went on to say that th« conditions were not ideal, but, taking into consideration the exigencies of the "traffic, they were about as good as oould be expected/"". : As to hours of labour, railway men here had" not to work eighteen hours a day, the length of time on© of officials concerned in the Victorian. B smash said he had been on duty atfiP the time of the accidJut. In ■■.. Ne»s Zealand they tried to .limit the dayji to twelve hours at the outside,-anaU it was only .on exceptional occasibna ; that this length of time for continuoneg duty was .exceeded—α-t- -holiday or when some special work had dona, 'llhere were cases of • hardehipViiiit% some of the branch country these could not very welijao cases where the- driver, fireman; guard had to etart. their day^^ftj-fe % at a quarter to six in the morningiSijidMfinish up at about a quarter at night. They behoved ; that Jong'V? hours prevailed on the Rakaiai-Sletirreu line. On the Waihao Downs-Waimate ~i line the train men also had tdipitviifSv a 4 long day, 'and in the/case ■ ofVtlie;S; Timaru-Oamaru train, i ther ; s officials :■;; aln)ve-mentioned put" in day or thereabouts. This-train v leayea-*5 Timaru shortly ; at (kmaTii at" about" 11 and the " :; ; driver returns on the. 7 ex- ■:- press at niglit,:; "When th£■. i guaTd-\and'-•'.' driver are away all;;day \in tHide way, 'A"■ they are not working all the time, they'" are on duty, and: : -, being away : k j from home the spare > time Hhey ha.v<j is Little' or no good to them. la tKe\| case of the driver, .fireman' and guarsl -1 of *ho Motaiven-Rokaia have to put in seren hours at waiting for the "train: : ' : :.i^<A;:.'a , rnTJeSgJ there in the: -morning "to rerom'-iafj|; night, and- tl»'pradrioe*^: i ment is to pay\for not maretth'an -xhr«> "•-& hoars of "waiting ,, • timej/': though th«y arc "paid iai OTdinarjl day's wages, they : have to; pn£ ; : iii>fpau3r& uoun| of ea<?h day in a"ntilor : .towjnsliaop doing ..Tiot-hihe;;\-..Th^«;\ oases whece tho men "have to houTS, but 'they not the rule.;'■. In "some North Island, .^^l>rancT»\ ; Jia«Js'tiKjijftffl "putting^;in^3c6B^^.hohi»;^aTd4y- : :;rwfc tliej^ictorjau, Bailweys,? it'; :that?,yery^ 7 . dey; ;mentddi>ed;.: in; -Ehe;,v caMtd> iß«S9alji»|| was an exceptionally..-^nip?«layJvdtt'ef-H«|^ wondered' if with '■': "the; littlei on 'wlricfi-W'maiyrli^t^KJ-^ineimJ-en*.,. - ; It-y to become •befogged tortg " day, and under 'an anxiety'to:"ina|iO'; up time to mistake,' tli© -.eignialy^': %'S>- m ■' The itwo. bSßcials" initerviewed : stesbedS that, In ■: to exx>ed'Lto:biieiiieefe, were ■' iai;e^^ort::;t^,':New wa^\"at : ''tim&,V"ahd'^^e:V : would not.-take;them;;^oJ^i^b^BiiSj^a .as'-'.to.; '^1 ties,'; and,; ■.■■getierallyv was little to complain of, scheme" ; , .witereby.l guards i^u)dj t beVreKsr^l'. ; warta tnany of. tibe-m havo train* wouM^W:ltai^vmtb-|43|^!^^|