RAILWAY MEN'S PAY.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1271, 28 October 1911, Page 5

RAILWAY MEN'S PAY.

TIIOSE INCREASES. POLITICAL PATRONAGE CONDEMNED. JUGGLING WITH'THE CLASSIFICA« 'HON ACT. Tho railway servants, in Wellington at any rate, aro by no means satisfied with the Long-promised increases of pay to which tlio Minister has lately finally committed himself. Tho cliitf griovanco of the men in tho traffic division, wliick is by far tho largest division, is that tho increases havo been granted almost altogether to the more highly paid men. while the poorly paid men havo received nothing. Tho best treated men under the allocation of increases wore tho locomotive men, who soma few years ugo seceded from tho Amalgamated Socioty of Railway Servants. A meeting of tho Thorndon branch of the A.S.R.S. was hold last night to protest against tho action of the Government. It was stated that the Classification Act, which applied to the Railway Service, had been juggled with by Parliament until it was practically unrecognisable, and that the alleged increases did not involve tho expenditure of any extra money. The result of the charges introduced had been merely a reshull'lo by whicli increments were divided up amongst a greater number of grades— amongst tlireo grades instead of two. Independent Board Wanted. Said one speaker: "I am perfectly satisfied as the result of somo years of experience that it is just about time wo realised that tho railways should bo removed from political patronage altogether. (Loud applause aud "Hear, hears.") Tin's continual agitation on tho evo of a general election hod led to tin's sort •of thing: We'll wait until tho general election is on, and we'll see what wo can get. The Government has juggled with the Classification Act until the Government do not know what it means, and certainly members of Parliament do not know how tho railway servants stand with the Department. Hero is on example of what wo havo got by approaching Parliament. Our society has had our Executive Council horo for a fortnight iu an endeavour to get redress, and nil they havo secured are these throo amendments to the Bill. And now wo have worso anomalies than we had before the Act came into force. It is about timo wo had an independent board to govern our wages, conditions, and promotions." The same speaker approved of Mr, Herdman's Bill to set up a separata board. If this w«ro dono tho railway servants could come under an arbitration award, and before tho award was mado the men would havo a proper opportunity of stating their case. At present thoy approached the Government, nnd tho Government tcok no notice. Now allocations wcro mode before tho men knew anything about them. If ail award wero mado under proper conditions tho moil would know their position for tho term of the award, but now they did not know their position from ouo year to another. If fho society went to the Minister, tho Minister was always compliant and ready to see tho reasonableness of their demands. But when the Minister put his acquiescence into writing there was always a regret attached to it. Then, instead of "les," ho said

"Ves-No." So far as tho present increase wore ooncernod, lie was eutisfiod thty did not como anywhero near tho amount siatod by the Minister—.£lo7,ooo. Tho actual increases apart from tho annual increments did not amount to more than i' 20,000, Resolutions of Protest. Another member moved tho following resolution :— "That this meeting expresses dissatisfaction with tho schedule of increase.?, and asks that the minimum wage be 'Js. per day to all men in tho service." "It is my honest opinion," ho said, "that tho manner in which Mr. Millar has been managing ibe railways and managing Die men that work the railways— (A voice: "Is rotten!")—is unsatisfactory to practically all Iho railway men, barring, probably, tho loco-men. Tho Minister for Hallways has done all ho can to can so disunion among tho men, and ho has done it times out of number. If ho gets us. divided ho can moro easily deal with us separately, and band out a. knock-out blow. Tho same speaker stated that the Department gavo preferences of one sort and another by carrying goods free. Why did (hey not give preferonco to the railway men first, and then throw their spare money in carrying freight for nothing ?

The member who seconded tho motion thought that the first aim of the railwaymen should bo to try and get, with other workers, some control over tho machinery of Government by sending friends of tho workers to tho House.

The discussion turned then on tho advisability of allowing railway men to como under tho Arbitration Act. Opinions wens divided on tho point, some members being doubtful whether any good would; come of it, pointing out that a number of unions had given up hope of o\ier getting further improvement of their conditions from tho Court.

Another speaker pointed out the. weakness in any such arrangement. The. railway men were in the service of the State, and if the Arbitration Court, or a board, cave increases they would havo to CO to Parliament to Ret the money, Concerning a proposal that railway men. should unite with organised Labour outside the service, some of tho more cautious were inclined to think that there was no uuifed Labour party with which to unite. There were several hostilo factions in tho ranks of Labour.. The resolution was carried unanimously, as was also tho following motion:— "That this branch is unanimously of the opinion that the lime has arrived when tho Railway Classification Act, or consideration of amendments to same, governing tho conditions of service and wages of the employees, should not bo considered on tho ovo of a general election, as our grievances do not thou receive from Parliament tho consideration which they deserve." This motion wa.s received with enthusiastic applause. The main reason urged in support of it was that when this business tame on lato in (lie session it was never put properly before Parliament, Even Ministers had no time to giro to it, and everybody was too busy for anything except vote-catching.