PETONE WORKSHOPS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 457, 16 March 1909, Page 4

PETONE WORKSHOPS.

« ANOTHER MIDDAY CATHERINC, THE TROUBLE NOT ENDED. Although tho dinner adjournment for employees of l'etono Railway Workshops ifl only half-aii-hour, thoy manago to discuss things very fully when they chooso during that short interval. Another meeting was hold in tho blacksmiths' shop yesterday, at which representatives of every department wero present. Tho subject was, as usual, tho status of tho Manawatu men. Report was mado as to tho doings of the I deputation, introduced by Mr. T. M. \ull'ord, M.l'., which had waited on tho Minister for Railways on Friday afternoon. "Tho feeling has got abroad," said, tho chairman, "that this deputation was acting detrimentally in tho Executive Council, and I wish to give that an emphatic denial. The majority of tho representatives 011 that deputation wero members of tho Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants, therefore wo were not in any way against tho society." Tho intention of tho deputation, ho continued, was, if anything, to strengthen tho • hand of tho society. The Minister told tho deputation that lie had a full reading of tho Act from tho Solicitor-General, and lie had said that he could not depart from that. Ho had quoted clause 27, tho clause upon which they had practically hinged their arguments. Thev read tho elauso to mean that tho time of tho Manawatu men before entering tho Government sorvico would count for superannuation purposes only, and would not bo taken into consideration when then positions on tho D 3 list were allotted. The Solicitor-General bad advised tho Minister that tho tinio would count for classification. However, tho Minister' consented to refer tho matter to tho Solicitor-General again. Tho 1 Minister had given them distinctly to understand that all tho casuals of the Manawatu Company wero to bo placed on tho permanent list of tho New Zealand Government railways, to tho detriment of tho Government casuals, who had put in up to 16 years' service. Tho deputation had been introduced by Mr. Wilford, M.l'., and Mr. Herdman, M.P., was also in attendance. Mr. Wilford had road tho Act in tho same manner as tho men construed it, and it bad been mainly through tho inlluenco of Mr. Wilford that tho Minister promised to put tho matter again beforo tho SolicitorGeneral. Mr. Wilford also advised them to have a reading of clauso 27 by a Supremo • Court judge. It would cost ss. for a summons, ss. to tako tho case beforo tho Court, ! and five guineas for a solicitor to carry it through tho Supremo Court. Sir. • Wilford . had promised to give his services gratis, j (Appfauso.) s Another member of tho deputation as? sorted that tho leading hand in 0110 of tho shops, about whom thoy wero protesting, had not occupied tho position of loading S hand in the lato company. Ho had been 3 employed thero as an ordinary bench hand. " Mr. Wilford had asked tho Minister to take 3 an outsido legal opinion on this question of " classification. Tho promotions which had been mado recently in other departments - had also been brought undor tho Minister 9 - notice. . , , , , 0 Another representative who had been . choscn to act 011 tho deputation, stated that s ho had been forbidden leave to go, and consequently had not been present when tho proceedings commenced. f "Our leading hand told mo," said another . speaker, "that if I was seen talking I would 1" have to put on my coat and go home. Ho added that ho had thoreforo not been allowed oif to act on tho deputation. Tho leading hand refused him permission. Tho j foreman had no authority, ho said, and ho 1- got 110 satisfaction when ho applied to tho r manager. . r It was intimated that tho deputation > would not let tho rest, but would 0 keep in touch with tho Minister.