N.S.W. RAILWAYS.

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 31 October 1925, Page 9

N.S.W. RAILWAYS.

HOTTEST DEBATE ON RECORD. GOVERNMENT FIERCELY ATTACKED. . . . SYDNEY, Oct. .29. The debate - was one. of the bitterest and hottest ever heard in the House. Mr Bruxner said, the Government were prepared .to back up anybody who wanted to see the wheels of transpoit stopped and the country plunged into chaos. They were paving the way ior a similar state of. affairs as existed in Queensland. . . Other speakers fiercely attacked the Governnient, but, amid Continued excitement, speeches were shortened by frequent use of’ the guillotine, and the Bill was forced through a.ll stages and sent to. the Council before the- House r£t lt is anticipated that'the Council will reject the Bill'.

Mr Lang, Premier of New South Wales, issued a ukase to the Railway Commissioners fast July, ordering the restoration of the seniority of men who weue disrated as a result of the great railway and tramway strike in 1917. Loyalists who obtained promotion as the result of the disrating of the strikers, and who.,will now be reclassified in order to restore pre-strike seniority, will continue to receive their present pay. The Government undertook to reimburse the commissioners the extra, cost involved, running into a large sum. As the outcome of Mr Lang’s ukase an important test case, on which will depend a large number of others, was commenced in. the Equity Court on October 17. One of the disrated loyalist officers is seeking an injunction to restrain the Railway Commissioners from carrying out the Government’s orders in the matter. •Counsel for the defence raised the point that plaintiff had no grounds foir relief against the commissioners, who had acted under Government direction. Mr Justice Harvey oyer-ruled him, and declared that the deliberate policy of-'the Railway Act was that the Commissioners should use their own discre-

tion. The Act was meant to protect railway employees'from political interference. It certainly never was intended that the Commissioners , should waive, such discretion in favour of the Government, Parliament or in any other oueside direction. Another test case, in common law, arising out of the same circumstances, is pending against the commissioners, -in which a disrated loyalist is claiming substantial damage.