THE RAILWAY SERVICE

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2421, 29 March 1915, Page 7

THE RAILWAY SERVICE

ADVICE BY THE CHIEF CLERK. At the smoke concert held by members of the Railway Officers' Institute on Saturday night, and in the course of proposing the toast of that body, Mr. R. W. M'Villy, Chief Clerk of the Railway Department, had some interesting remarks to • make regarding .the early days of the institute. In those 'days, he 6aid, officers, had very much the same ideas toiyards the' management as was held to-day, and ho advised them to always take what they could get in the way of improved conditions, etc. •'Wo took' it in the early days," he continued, "with the mental reservation that, like Oliver Twist, we would come back and ask for more. ... My experience of the R. 0.1, is that they are very good on the Oliver Twist." (Laughter.) He continued, and pointed out that the members should realise that they could approach the management with confidence, but they should look with both eyes, and not keep one shut, and then they would come to see both sides. Railway servants were now getting salaries on the same level as other branohes of the Civil Service. He agreed that they should be on the same standing, but what the railway management had to realise was that they had thirty-three millions of publio money to pay interest on. If that was not maintained- the most popular cry iii the country was to reduce the pay. Therefore it was a wise thing to be always going along slowly, never putting themselves in the position where a set-back was necessary. The Railway Officers' Institute had always had sense enough to; see that that was a sound policy.

Mr. M'Villy also referred to classification. It was a very good thing in some respects, he said, but immediately they began to look upon it l as automatic, that the man on top was going to keep on top, it was a bad thing. Why, he asked,' should the man lower down, who had ability and initiative, be kept back by an indifferent man on top? (Applause.)

Mr. A. W. Hutchings, in responding, referred to Mr. M'Villy's last remark anent the classification, and said that if they wanted to make their service .boom the best men must go to the top. Then they would have a service which would be not only a credit to them-, selves, bub to the country. (Applause.)'