RAILWAY SERVANTS GRIEVANCES. TO THE EDITOR.

Evening Post, Volume XXXIX, Issue 102, 2 May 1890, Page 4

RAILWAY SERVANTS GRIEVANCES. TO THE EDITOR.

Sin— ln your issuo of the 2Gth instant appoara tho copy of a letter addressed, on behalf of tho Railway Commissioners, to the Chairman of tho Sweating Commission, and which purports to answer certain statements made to the Commission at Christchnrch, and more recently by myself at Wellington. The Bailway Commissioners' letter proves one of two things— either that the Commissioners are ignorant of what ia taking plaoe under their very eyns or that their assertions are misleading ; in faot it may bo both. Under data Ootober 21, 1899, tho Commissioners issued a circular, which provides amongst other things "' that when vacancies ooonr candidates will be selected from among those applicants who are within the prescribed ago," and this rale obtains in spite of the Commissioners' assertion that the higher places are filled by promotion from the lower grades regardless of age (tho italics are mine), " porters (I quote from tho same circular), shunters, labourers, platelayers, and oleaners, age not to bo under 16 years nor over 19 years last birthday " at tho following ratoß of pay, whioh range from 3a to 43 6d per day. Ido not know to what extent the Commissioners are informed as to what transpires, still, I think they should know whotnor it be true or not that young men, suitablo in every respect excepting that of age, have been dispensed with from the Wellington seotion aftor having worked for the Eailway Department for nearly two years ; also, that quite a number of the very beat men on tho section havo resigned and gone to Australia Rololy because the Commissioners would not grant to them tho inwease of wages justly their duo. Is it or is it not trno that a youth —still in the servieo. I think— served tho Department for nearly two years for tho munifioent remuneration of 10s per week ; that he was required to live in Wellington and more recently at Eketahuna, and having no home at either placo, he was compelled to pay for his board and lodging and clothe himself on 10s per week. Can tho Commissioners deny that eomo eight or ten lads, whose ages ranged from 16 to 20 years, wero worked on the Wellington section for six or «ight months at the rate of 3s per day ? Is it not a faot that at the present time a lad sorter is engaged in the Wellington station yard shnnting— that most dangerous of «11 railway work, dangerous alike for the boy and for the passengers ? Have not the adult porters at Upper Hutt been replaced by two lad porters ? Upper Hutt is most undoubtedly one of tho most important stations on the seotion, it is at the foot of a steep grade, and the necessity for quick nnd detegnined action might arise any day,

caused for instance by a runaway train. Boya may do fairly woll whon everything gooß smoothly, but in emergencies they lack tho coolncHH enrrt nrlorcd by long experience. !h it not well known that one (if tho Upper Ifntt guards wns < iken FmMcnly ill last wcric, and thai -i heavy paH^rigcr train oroMHinp two oth'T trains had to be takc'u to Wellington by one > of these irioxperiencod ladai 1 Again, is it not true that a lad porter is running as guard ot a train, a lad who, by the way, has already mot with accidonts in shunting? And yet this boy iB ontrusted with valuablo property and scores of lives daily. Ib it not true tbat a lad at 3s a day left a pair of points at Lower Hutt Bet for a siding, and that a paspenger train from Wellington ran into the siding and collided with a string of empty carriages r Can it bo denied that there is any of the locomotive staff working but eight hours? (I except fitters). And is it not a fact thatall tho guards on the section uvorago considerably more than eight hours continuous duty, and is thero a porter or shunter on thu section who works but this number of hours ? Ia the signalman at the Summit worked with any consideration as to time? I flaro affirm that thero is not a shunter, porter, or clork at Wellington who doerf not work more than eight houra continuous duty every week day. Tho bulk of the clprka aro required to return at night time, and frequently on Sundays, to work to mako up for deficient clerical Jabour. The fact, sir, is that tho wholo lino is being worked dangerously cheap. I am, &c, G. London, Secretary W.B A.S.R.S.. Petono, 30th April.