RAILWAYMEN RESENTFUL

Evening Star, Issue 25046, 13 December 1943, Page 2

RAILWAYMEN RESENTFUL

M SEMPLE'S COMMENT ON HYDE DISASTER At a largely attended-meeting yesterday of the Dunedin branch of the Engine Drivers, Firemen and Cleaners' Association the remarks reported to have been made by the Minister of Railwa3's, Mr Semple, at a recent social function at Westport, concerning the Hyde railway disaster were strongly criticised. The meeting was presided over by Mr J Harrison, and the following resolution was carried : " That this meeting strongly resents the statement attributed to the Minister of Railways at Westport, in which he blamed the driver of the train for the accident at Hyde. In our opinion, grave doubt exists whether the true position was revealed in the evidence given at the trial of the driver. We consider that no definite evidence as to the speed of the train was produced, and in our opinion the verdict appeared to be founded on a mass of technical evidence which only tended to prove that the derailment could have been caused by excessive speed, fn the absence of any speed-recording device, it was quite Impossible to prove that the train was travelling at .an excessive speed at the point of derailment. As practical locomotive men, we are not convinced that the'speed at which the train was travelling at the time of the accident could he held responsible." The resolution also affirmed that since the accident men had been engaged in ballasting and in lifting the track owing to the unstable formation in certain places on the Central Otago line. The opinion was also expressed that the long hours worked by locomotive men were not conducive to the efficiency of the service. It was'emphasised that the drivers on the Central Otago line worked from 12 to 14 hours at a time, and that there was a lapse of 24 hours before they could sit down to a hot meal.