RAILWAYMEN FOR THE WAR

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3093, 25 May 1917, Page 6

RAILWAYMEN FOR THE WAR

NUMBER TO BE RELEASED y> LIVELY DISCUSSION MATTER BEFORE MILITARY BOARD • The only busings dealt with in public by the l-iuru - Wahiigton Milihm-■ Ser- ■ iit» Board .yesterday ivas the matter of lor the military lot)'men whom .ttae ivaihvay Department was considered .to have promised to release. The board consists ot Messrs. \V. H. 8. Muorbouso (chairman),.A. O'L. Considine, afd 11. ,1. Ihe military representative is Captain Baldwin. .Mr. 1C \y. U'Villy ■ attended to represent the Hailway Department. . , ■ i The proceedings began Ly the chairman .remarking to - ilr.. Al'Villy: "We want ■ to arrive at some method of getting hold t>l the men whom you can spare. ISy the jWay, it has boen suggested by irr.'Mnck .tnat forty-five men have volunteered " i.'Mr. M'Villy; A number wanted to ■Volunteer.

I' The chairman: Can you let us have those men? '

i Mr M'Villy. Tho position is this: A ■ J'lnibei- of men have been drawn in the , ballots,! and there will inevitably come 'a timo when we will have .to call a halt V«y giving volunteers to the Defence Department, and then having to ileal with balloted men we are going; to have difficulty unless we are given credit for the .voluntary men-. What wo propose to do is (as , l suggested last timo I was ; before the board) to give you 150 men. Since giving that undertaking we have, declined to Jet voluntarv officers "o Mr. Mack: How many? Mr. M'Villy: About thirty. We ore 3>rejmicd to let these nieu go if we <-et credit for them. If that ;s understood, and the Defence Depa-'tineiit agrees to it, we know exactly wlitio we are, and we shall get over the difflcultr with our men. ' ■The chainhan: I can't see any objection to that. Can.you! Captain Baldwin? Captain Baldwin: So long ;1S the nus -iindertaking is carried out. ' That ■was: 150 ayailaWe for,tho next reinforce■meat draft, and a further 150 for the next draft. .

~ The dwirman: The number lias not been, fixed.

i "Department to Release 150 Men. 1 Mr. Mack: TOat I understand -; s that ;ae a result of the reduced train services the Department has released 150 'men, which, is all they can spare. : Captain Baldwin: Then the thin" is Ridiculous. Does Mr. Jl'Villy say, that Hot) men is all the Department can spare 'after reducing the train services? iIT. M'Villy: No. I eay nothinß.of the kind.

Captain Baldwin: I thought Hot. ' Mr. ITVilly: Equally, I did not say, "when I gave 150 men, that I would come nlong in a month with another 150. ...What I'did say was that I would jrive the.board in four weeks' time as many ,men as could bo 6pare<l. ... As a matter of fact I have had another ballot. Captain Baldwin: Then, can you give us the names of the men balloted,, eo that they can be medically examined ? Mr! M'Villy: Yes, but I don't want any misunderstanding, or any suggestion that lam trying-; to block the board. 1 cannot state a definite number; that is impossible. Whatever number is available must be stated from time to time. 'Captain Baldwin appears to be under jth« impression that we are trying to block the board.

: Captain Baldwin: No, nnd I want you +o get out of you,r head that we wish to do anything to jeopardise the -work of yonr Department. But jou must rememfber that calculations have to T>e made, and in your case we aro dealing wifli fairly large numbers.

Mr. M'Villy: You can't get,that ' information until I tome before the board. ;We are doinf; onr best for the public (as ire always do), and -we are doing the "test vre can to help you. What I-Tvant is n. fair understanding. ... I am 'giving you eo many meu, and it would .he' necessary, if" the Department needed 'more, to'make a second cut in the setvice.

Captain Baldwin: You said you would tie prepared to offer a scheme for the .release of the whole of the First Division men in the- Biiilw&y Service. Mr. IPVilly: I have never, eaid anything of the kind. The chairman: -I don't remember that. ■"Captain Baldwin: It is in your own writing. . ' • _Mr. SrVilly.said that Captain Baldwin was under a misapprehension. An Agreement Reached. Captain Baldwin: If the running of the New Zealand Railways is of. more importance than the keeping of our obligations, then . . The chairman: Wβ have got to say-so . Captain Baldwin: What! That the I'ailways are more important than our military obligations? ' The chairman: That is for the Government to say, but if the railways are to be run they will have to be manned. 1 Captain Baldwin: Do I understand ;that the 'position of the board is that 'they are going to accept 150 men and leave it indefinite as to when any more 'men go? The ohairman: I think we are all aereed that that is the attitude we are Eoinpc to adopt. We take 150 ae soon as we can" get them," and then leave the Denartment alone for a period. The discussion drifted into a conversation and eventually the chairman read the following note he had made of the understanding -arrived at:— .Mr. afrreed to hand over • the result of his second ballot of 200 v men, .the whole 400 to be medically examined aa soon as possible. . The result of the military examination to be at once put before" the board, when the-150 men will be taken by the board for military nur- ■ coses. ■ ' The Department to inform the board on June 7 how many additional men can be spared, and the corre■spondinfr number of appeals •withdrawn. ? Ir ' to make endeavours to release those who have volunteered. <£ose released to be credited against . the 100 now promised.