RAILWAY OFFICERS

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 147, 23 June 1924, Page 8

RAILWAY OFFICERS

ANNUAL CONFERENCE

VARIOUS REMITS AGREED TO.

At the annual conference of delegates of the Railway Officers' Institute on Saturday, the question of the desirableness of a new tariff being prepared and issued was discussed. The existing tariff, both in respect to its incidence and as a guide to officers, was adversely criticised. The conference decided to urge that all members be given an opportunity of qualifying in such special work as" the Department deemed essential to fit them for administrative posts. It was contended that at present equality of opportunity did not obtain in the service, and that men who had qualified for administrative positions by their work in the higher grades were also being repeatedly passed over. This, it was stated, was causing dissatisfaction and discontent.

It was agreed that members promoted from the second division,' after passing the examination test, should receive an increase in pay of not less than £20 per

Tlie following remits from the Wellington branch were carried unanimously: "That the conference has no confidence in the system of promotion which provides for 'special merit,' in that in theory it sounds right, but that in practice it has proved to be a failure, wherever tried, and has caused incessant and unnecessary turmoil and unrest in the service."

"That conference again takes strong exception to the departure from the principle of the Classification Act, in making promotions by such subterfuges as 'Order-in-Council,' or by 'Governor-General,' to the higher grades in the service." It was stated that when such appointments were made a superseded member had n6 right of appeal, which was contrary to the intentions of Parliament when the Classification iAct was placed on the Statute Book.

A remit that rates clerks at the main goods offices should be placed in a higher grade was agreed to, and the foilowing remit from the Executive Committee was also endorsed: "That it be represented to the Department that official and recommended members in grade 7 (the lowest grade for clerks) should not be held at the maximum of that grade after completion of 14 years' service, 'but should then proceed to the next grade."