HOUSING DIFFICULTIES

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 21816, 12 September 1945, Page 3

HOUSING DIFFICULTIES

RAILWAY EMPLOYEES CLAIMS ON DEPARTMENT (P.A.) WELLINGTON, Sept. 12. The housing difficulties of railwaymen were mentioned at yesterday’s sitting of the Railways Tribunal during the consideration of claims on behalf of Sour service organisations. For men ceasing or commencing work when normal transport was not running a request was made either for free transport of such employees to or from their places of residence, on allowance for the provision of their own transport, or payment of continuous time from the time of their arrival at work by the last available normal transport or from the time of finishing a shift until the resumption of normal transport.

It was slated that the housing situation had worsened the position as at one time railwaymen could obtain housing accommodation within reasonable distance of their headquarters, but to-day they had to accept housing where offering, irrespective of the distance from the place of work. For the department it was stated that for years it had provided houses at reasonable charges as near as practicable to the places of work. About 4000 houses had been so provided. Employees engaged primarily in trainrunning were given preference in housing. Tile claims represented an administrative problem, which could be solved on the basis of each case being treated on its merits rather than by the prescription of hard and fast rules, which would be difficult to frame.

The tribunal reserved its decision,