PETONE WORKSHOPS TROUBLE.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 455, 13 March 1909, Page 5

PETONE WORKSHOPS TROUBLE.

o : —• MINISTER AGAIN APPROACHED. NOTHING DEFINITE ACHIEVED. No time has been lost by employees of the Pctone Railway Workshops in putting their representations again , before tho Minister for Railways (the Hon. J. A. Millar), in tho matter of alleged unfairness caused to old Government servants by the assigning of senior positions to the late Manawatu Company's men. Several weeks ago tho ■ grievance- was taken up by tho Amalgamated Society cf Railway Servants, and a promise was then made to the society that justice would be done without delay, but no changes were made. Chafing at tho delay, tho men held a meeting in tho workshops last Monday to devise steps for an immediate adjustment. At that meeting a representative was chosen from each department el the shops to form a deputation with a 'riew to placing the position more strongly before tho Minister. There was no mistaking the earnestness of the movement, for the men uudertook to pay all expenses incurred by the deputation. It was agreed that a subscription list should be sent round to every department of the workshops for this purpose. The deputation —six in number —met tho Minister in Wellington yesterday afternoon, and stated their case. Messrs. A. L. Herdman and T. M. Wilford, M.P's., wore also . present. One of the speakers expressed the belief that the details of their trouble had not beon brought home to the Minister, hence the delay. That was tho reason why tho deputation had been unanimously appointed to go thoroughly into tho facts. In reply, the Minister said that he would i refer tho" matter back to tho SolicitorGeneral, in order that he might go into it and supply a rcadiug_ of the Act. With this guidance, the Minister hoped to bo able to communicate with tho men very shortly, bringing about an issuo satisfactory to all partieu. ;