"SAFETY FIRST."

Press, Volume LVII, Issue 17102, 24 March 1921, Page 7

"SAFETY FIRST."

DUTIES OF RAILWAY SERVANTS. INTERESTING STATEMENT BEFORE APPEAL BOARD. An interesting statement, dealing with the duties of railway servants, v. a> made at the bitting of the Railway Ap peal Board at Wellington on Tucsda\ by Mr J. Mason, who appeared on behalf of the Department. 'The safety of- tl.e travelling public," said Mr Mason, "is, and must be, the first care of the administration of tne Department. To this end lar;:c sums of money have been spent in the provision of safet/v appliances, and in improving engines,' rolling stock, and tflic permanent way. But, no matter wiiat appliances mav be employed, lh" prevcntien of accidents re=ts with the human equation, and it is only by tho in.-istence on tlie part of the management upon a. rigid observance of the regulations the staff employed in the running ol trains that accident* will be avoi'.e.L Tiiio driver of a train holds the of his own, and pes-i'dy -it'-cr trains, in his hands. His responsibilities, in common with otl'er members ef the stair concerned with the handling of tram-, demand unremitting care and vigil -nee. "To pass a signal at dancer is one ot the most serious offence* —if not the most serious—a driver cun commit ;an I its pllnisl'iment, if it 1% to be effe-tive as a deterrent both to himself c.nd ot.ier-"., must lie commensurate wil.ii this view. Ajiv lowering of the penalty would nccessirilv lower the significance of trie offence, and to that extent tend to encourage its frequency. It is a tact well known to ail railway administrators, that there itfia tendency on tne part or some men performing even fee most importfftlt and responsible dishes to relax their vigilance and alertness after a time. They nl'ow their sense of responsibility to go to sleep, and, in cooseqiience, their 'watchfulness to become dulled. The danger of this in irnn work does not need to be emphasised It is ;i source of the greatest nnxietv to every railway management, and wherever it does come under notice, Ihero is only one course to bo followed, wiiidi is to jolt the man back to a realisation of his responsibilities by tho inflation of a punishment in keeping witn the" magnitude of the offence^ "Tho net of passing a sinrtni at danger is irremediable; it is.beyond recill. Th'i driver delivers himself, lm train, ancl all that are in it over to blind c?mnco. To-dav nothing may happen r to-morrow it may be disaster. Tho initial errot'is tho same in either case. In the case in the collision in Wales a few weeks ago tho driver w.ts in possession of a tablet. His negligence took the forir. of onnttiucr to see that it was for the rig it section. /The consequences of +his simple omission was the destruction of ten ot twelve lives and injury to many others. In this country serious train accident > fortunately have been comparatively rare. This, it must bo acknowledged, is a tribute to the high standard oi' vigilance of tiho operating staff, \and, wliilo acknowledging this, let mo add that, there is no room for lowering that standard "wiicn the? consequences \iYllgll* come to be measured in human livep. . "The management Iras Own blniuod for undue severity in dealing with sucw cases. What I have said will give some indication of the considerations which must weigh with those whom the Government and tho country 'hold responsible for the safe and efficient management of the railways. It appears to be overlooked that the lino of least resistance lies in the direction oi leniency. In the Department's rule took, issued to every member of the staff, this rule is printed in bold type at the head_ of every page: 'The first and most? important duty of every member is to pro r vide for the safety of the public.' This rule is just ns binding on the management ns upon the staff in the yard, sig-nal-box, and on the footiplate. Let me quote tihe remarks of an American State Commission's inspector, commenting upon a recent acident there. He'says: 'Men do not ordinarily become careless, lose their sense of responsibility, and -wilfully disobey rules that they know are necessary for safety unless the management of the company also become careless and permits violations to go unchecked.' ■

"This is perfectly true. It'condenses in a sentence tho arguments that I have placed before this Board thnt the maintenance of the discipline of tho staff is vital in the interests of the public safety."