RAILWAY APPEAL BOARD

Evening Star, Issue 14634, 2 August 1911, Page 12

RAILWAY APPEAL BOARD

! The hearing bv the Railway Appeal!! Board of the appeal of G. D. 'formerly station master- at PalmerstonX against* his reduction to a lower grade, 1 was continued yesterday afternoon. Mr 11 W. R. Haselden, S.M., and Messrs John*-' Cray (representing the first division) and' Peter Gaines (representing the second v division) constituted the board. Theappellant had been Tomoved to the posit tiori of station master at Winton, with a* reduction in salary from £255 to £220 fori not immediately taking steps to ascertain the condition of a'guard m charge of a train reported to him as having arrived at his station in a stateof helpless intoxi- t cation. Mr K. Davidson appeared on. hehalf'of'"the department, and Mr J. (J. M'Pherson' for the appellant. - After the evidence had been beard Mr M'Pherson addressed tho board on behalf of Mr 'Cameron. He, contended that the appellant by inquiring.into the. condition of the guard before he left and providing another suard to run tho train had prnvided for the safety of train running. Mr Cameron had l>een charged with want of care for the safety of the public- and for ; tho ,-afety of train running. He had been punished for his intention arrived at by inference. He had admitted that he had made two errors of discretion, but he had not been guilty of the offences charged, the appellant should have been informed of the guard's condition immediatejy on the arrival of the train. If he had seen the man then it might have influenced his decision. Mr M'Pherson asserted that

I the punishment whs altogether too heavy | for the offences. Mr Cameron had been reduced in salary from £255 to £220. He j had eight years to run. and as tberc was ; no probability of bis regaining bis former j status, that "meant a loss of £260. Mr I Cameron's pension also bad boon reduced I for all time, and his punishment was lifo- ! lone- It meant altogether a loss of somej thing like £SOO. His. errors did not in any j way endanger tlie safety of the public, and j that consideration should not enter. j Mr Davidson said the case for the de- ; partment was simply this : that Mr Came--1 ron was in charge of an important subI terminal station; aud his action or want i of action on this occasion showed that lie I was quite unsuited for such a station. ! The train arrived at. PalmeTston with the guard either drunk or sick, ami this was reported to Mr Cameron. The man might have been in urgent, need of medical aid. but instead of making a close examination Mr Cameron calmly went home. He returned a few minutes before the train was i to leave, anil he admitted that had the '■ man been sufficiently recovered he would ! have let him go with it. That in itself was I<i menace to the travelling public. "Mr | Cameron had shown in a. very marked j manner that he was incapable of conducting a station like Palmerston. The only thing that could be done in the cir- : cumstances was lo transfer him to an 1 inferior station. If he chose to soake himself up and improve in his methods there ; was nothing to prevent, him from working up into the other grade again; therefore , the question of loss of superannuation did not enter into it. If he showed greater . aptitude for hi? work and greater interest ■ in it, it was quite open to him to recover the position he had lost. The whole thing rested upon his proved incapacity for the position which he occupied aud from which he had been removed. This concluded the hearing, ami the evi- i dence'was' then considered by the board ' in private.