THE RAILWAYS.

Press, Volume LVII, Issue 17064, 8 February 1921, Page 7

THE RAILWAYS.

STRIKE THREAT FROM DUNEDIN. DRIVER'S PUNISHMENT RESENTED. Monday's "Otago Daily Times" has the following:— The members of the locomotive branch of tho railways service in this riistrict are agitated in consequence of a punishment which has been inflicted on one of their number—a driver named Barclay—and they are threatening a ctrike unless tho punishment is modified in such a manner aa will not in- , volve tho driver in a reduction from hi if rank to that of a fireman. ' Tho driver in whose case the btytnen is interesting itself, is a a long service to his credit He/fias, we are informed, been employe,/ for rfO years in the service of the I>bpartment, and for 18 or 19 of these/tears he been a driver. Ho is, the/.-efore an experienced driver, and/fis such, has been employed for fives' or six years as a driver of the c/fpress trains. 'lhe pra*> tice is ,tW« driver of express trains engaged in this particular service for four days in tho week, and is availaole for employment on local trains on the remaining dnys of the week. On a date in the latter part of tho month of October last,, Barclay ivas the driver of a train on tho Dunedin-Port Chalmers line. It was charged against him that ho started the train from Port Chalmers when tho starting signal had rot been given by tho semaphore in tho station yard. It was the duty of certain members of the staff at Port Chalmers, as well as of tho engine driver, to see that this signal was given prior to tho departure of the train. It ia admitted that the driver overlooked tho fact that tho signal had not been given when tho train was started. On the other hand, ho had received the tablet, the possession of which was a guarantee to him that the lin.o was clear until the train reached the nest station, and there received tho "homo signal" authorising him to bring the train into that station. No question, therefore, of tho endangering of the public was involved in the starting of the tram. .Moreover, the guard or the train had given-the starting whistle to tho (driver. The .locomotive, it is stated, was standing under the starting signal at Port Chalmers on this particular occasion. The matter of tho dereliction of duty on the part of the driver and other members of. the railway service was the subject of official enquiry, the result of which was made known at tho end of last week. The stntionmaster at Fort Chalmers was, we aro informed, severely reprimanded; the signalman and a shunter were each fine" £1; and the guard was exonerated on the ground that, as he was standing under the station verandah when lie blow his whistle he could not see tho starting signal. In the case of the driver the decision of tho Punishments Board was that he should be reduced for six months to the rank of a fireman. This decision represents a loss of 4s per day in wages, and is equal to a monetary fine of £3l 4s. 'ln addition to this, he suffers f<ho humiliation of degradation for six months to an inferior grade. It ia represented by railwaymen that this punishment for an offence out of which the question of the public safety did not arise is unprecedentedly and unduly severe. The last case of the kind 'in this section, occurring sortie years ago at Ravensbounie, wps, they state, met by the mulcting or the driver in a fine of ££. They point out that there is a great difference between a dereliction of duty in overlooking a starting signal, . ana a dereliction of duty in disregarding a home signal. The effect in the latter- case may he a collision! There can be no such effect in the former case, when tho driver is in possession of a tablet, unless, indeed, the element of human fallibility enters into the case as happened in the recent Aibermule tragedy ,at Home. The long service, with a clean record, or l>riTer Barclay, is also empbasised as & consideration to which the Punishments Board should have given weight. The decision of the Punishments Board was regarded as sufficiently extraordinary to warrant a special meeting yesterday of the local branch of the Engine-drivers, Firemen, and Cleaners' Association. The meeting, which' was largely attended, unanimously passed a resolution in the following terms: "That unless our executive gets ' ©river Barclay reinstated as 'driver we intend in a .body to cease work at midnight on Wednesday as a protest against the drastic punishment doait out to .this member." . ; In consequence of this resolution, the secretary of the local branch despatched tho following telegram to the general secretary of the Engine-drivers, Firemen, and Cleaners'. Association: A large meeting of the.£.F.C. Association unanimously decided to-dav to wiro Hon. Minister of Railways and General Manager that unless our executive get Mr Barclay reinstated as driver this branch will -cease work on Wednesday mfflnight as a ,protest against the drastie nunishment meted out to him.'' Telegrams in "similar terms were despatched also to the Minister of Rauwavs and to the General Manager of Railways. MR MASSEY'S MESSAGE. (press association teusgbam.) WELLINGTON, February 7. Regarding the threatened strike, Mt Massey sent the following- message "Your .telegram received. You must know that the proper constitutional method of dealing with toy grievance is through tho executive. Barclay may take the case to the Appeal Board, which will probably sit in the South Island next week, or may appeal direct to the General Manager or Minister. The passing of a danger signal; thus involving tno public safety, is_ a serious matter, and cannot be passed over. I hope wiser counsels may prevail, and that a mora satisfactory course iflian that suggested will be adopted, but please understand that the responsibility for anything that may take place rests with you and those on whose behalf you forwarded the telegram." (SPECIAL TO "TIT? PBES3.") WELLINGTON, February 7. The threatened strike of lailwavmen at Dunedin is not taken seriously here. The Department and tho Government is not likely to deal with the local Associa-* tion. »