RAILWAY TROUBLES.

Evening Post, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 72, 26 March 1909, Page 7

RAILWAY TROUBLES.

THE MANAWATU MEN. IMPORTANT ACTION« 'A DECLARATORY JUDGMENT TO „ BE OBTAINED. For some time past a good, deal of discontent has been manifested at Petone amongst the railway worKshops employees concerning some appointments that have been made there, the appointees being men who were formerly in the employ of the Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company., A deputation recently met the Minister for Railways (Hon. J. A. Millar), and the Minister stated that section 27 of the Manawatu Railway Purchase Act required the Government to place the employees in question in the same positions onder the Government that they formerly occupied under the Manawatu Company. Mr. T. M. Wilford, M.P., •who is acting on behalf of the aggrieved parties, questioned the Minister's interpretation of the section, and it has now been decided by the men to accept Mr. Wilford's offer to have a declaratory judgment obtained as to the proper interpretation of the section in question. An originating summons has been filed in the Supreme Court, and an endeavour will be "made to have the matter dealt -with immediately by one of the Judges. Walter John Taylor, who becomes the plaintiff in the case, in his affidavit sets out that he is a carpenter employed as a permanent officer in the New Zealand Government Railway at Petone, and that he is classified under Part 11. of the Government Railway Act, 1908, in the second division, class 2, sub-class 2, grade one. It has, he sets out, been intimated to him by the Minister of Railways, acting on behalf of the Governor, that the Governor proposes to appoint as permanent officers in the Government Railways Department persons who on the. 6th day o\ December, 1908, were employed in the service of the Manawatu Railway Company, Limited, and to appoint such persons at the same rates of pay as they respectively received from such company. The Minister, it is submitted, intimated at the same time that the Governor was compelled, by section 27 of the Wellington and Mana■vvatu Railway Purchase Act, 1908, to do each and all of the acts mentioned in the preceding paragraph. " Amongst the proposed appointments as aforesaid," the affidavit concludes, " is the appointment of a person the effect of which and the effect of placing him in the sub-class and grade mentioned will be to postpone and prevent the promotion wnich in the ordinary course I will be entitled to or will be available for, and I am therefore interested in the construction of the said section 27 in respect of the matters jDeentioned." The originating summons filed calls Upon the Attorney-General to attend th'e Supreme Court during the hearing 'of the application of Walter John Taylor, who claims to be interested in the construction of section 27 of the Act previously mentioned. The judge is asked t'i rule whether the Governor is compelled to appoint as permanent officers in the Government Railway Department any of the persons mentioned in the said section, and whether or not if any such persons are actually so appointed the Gcvernor is required to appoint such persons at the same rates of pay as they jtespectively received whilst employed by the Manawatu Company on 6th December, 1908, and whether in addition it is lequired that such persons shall be placed in the respective sub-classes and giades constituted under Part 11. of the Government Railways Act, 1908.