COST OF TRAVEL

Evening Post, Volume CXXXIX, Issue 9, 11 January 1945, Page 6

COST OF TRAVEL

RATE OF ALLOWANCE

RAILWAY OFFICERS' CLAIM

The increased rates now charged at hotels were quoted before the Railways Industrial Tribunal in Wellington today as a reason for an increase in travelling allowances, when further evidence was heard in connection with the claims advanced by the Railway Officers' Institute.

An increase in travelling and relieving allowances at the rate of 5s a day was sought.

The estimated cost of meeting the claim, replied the Railways Department through its advocate, Mr. K. G. Reid, was £9683. The cost of granting an increase of 2sl6d would be, £4842. The Department was in agreement with the recommendation of the Uniformity Committee that the travelling and relieving allowances for members of the First Division should be increased by 2s 6d a day,-but the claim for an increase of 5s was opposed as there was no reason, in the opinion of the Department, why the First Division should be granted a higher increase than other, members of the Government services. Mr; Reid said that the question of . increasing travelling and relieving allowances was considered by the Uniformity Committee in June, 1944, when, in view of the cost of accommodation, the Committee recommended an increase of 2s 6d a day. to various members of the State services. The recommendation was approved by Cabinet on June 20, and the new rates took effect as from August in the Public Service and the Post and Telegraph Department. Application was also made by the institute that, when members who were required to shift iheir household effects were .transferred to suit the exigencies of the Department, they should be paid a transfer allowance of £20 to compensate for deterioration of furniture and "general disruption of the home." ' -

The Department, in reply, stated that if the claim were granted, it was likely that the Second Division service organisations would apply for a similar provision, as they were also liable to be transferred to meet service requirements. The estimated cost of meeting tffe claim so far as the First Division was concerned would be approximately £5000 a year.

COST OF LIVING.

That cost ■■ of living allowances be paid to all officers, irrespective of salary, was another submission by the Institute. The granting of such allowances, the Department replied, was a matter of Government policy. As the Government had not been consulted by the Department no objection was raised to the matter being made the subject of a recommendation to the Minister if, on the. evidence, the Tribunal deemed such a course warranted.

The estimated annual cost of paying the full- cost of living allowance of £25 to First Division members in receipt of over £335 per annum, was £14,815, and that of paying the full amount to all employees in the Department in receipt of over £335 and up to and including £765, was £17,500 a year. ?

It was claimed by the Institute that casual clerks with 20 or more years' service should receive the same retiring leave as permanent officers. The Department replied that different rules had been provided for permanent and casual employees. In the majority of cases permanent members joined as cadets, and, after a career in the Department, retired on superannuation after 40 years 5 service. Casual employees, on the other hand, joined as adults, or had rejoined in a casual capacity after previously leaving the Service of their own volition, and, in general, it could not be said that they had made the railways service their career. It was contended that the longer period of retiring leave for permanent officers was justified, and, accordingly, the claim was opposed. At present, the Tribunal was informed there were eight casual clerks in the Department with more than 20 years' continuous service.

LONG SERVICE LEAVE

Opposition was also offered to the claim that railwaymen should be granted two months' leave on full payafter 20 years' service; four months after completion of 30 years' service; and six months after 40 years' service, all in addition to annual leave alreadyprovided.

If such a concession were introduced, said Mr. Reid, 1766 members of the First Division would immediately become entitled to long service leave varying from two to six months and representing an estimated total of 437 years. That figure, he declared, represented more than 40 per cent, of the total First Division staff at present working. The immediate cost of providing leave on pay to such an extent would be approximately £261,145. That estimate merely represented the salaries and cost-of-living allowances of the employees who would be entitled to long service leave, and made no provision for relieving and administrative expenses. Even if the granting sof leave were spread over, say, two years, the cost would be more than £130,000 per annum, said Mr. Reid, but it would be an administrative impracticability to grant such leave at the present time. The Department, therefore, opposed the claim on the grounds that long service leave was not warranted and was impracticable just now, and that the cost would be excessive.

THE HOTTEST DAY

Wellington had its hottest day since 1938 yesterday, when the temperature reached 81.1deg in the afternoon. The previous hottest day was in-February, 1935, when 82.6deg was recorded at the Meteorological Office; but 81.1deg was also recorded in April, 1938. Yesterday was the hottest day in January since 1933. The hottest day last year was in March, when the temperature reached 78deg. The temperature at noon today was 78deg, but a light breeze had sprung up by then and it did not appear as though the weather would get much warmer during the day. Coming after the rather poor holiday weather the warm spell was most noticeable, and Wellingtonians sweltered yesterday and again this morning. Officials at the Meteorological Office are not willing to predict that the warm weather is the real start of summer, and although the forecast for today is quite good, they state that a return to the weather of the past few weeks is quite possible. Yesterday the temperature started to rise in the morning, and by noon it had reached 76.9deg. After remaining steady for a few hours it climbed again and reached its maximum between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. The hours of bright sunshine recorded yesterday were reduced by light cloud covering the sun early in the morning and again just before sunset. Of the maximum possible sunshine time of 14£ hours, the sun was unobscured by cloud for only 11.8 hours, from 7.15 a.m. to 6.10 p.m On Saturday, there were 12.2 hours of sunshine. Last month the sun shone for 12 hours on six days, and on three of these days for over 13 hours. There was a very fine sunset yesterday, watched by many Wellingtonians from- the city and suburbs, and the evening was remarkably calm.