NEW ZEALAND GOVERNMENT RAILWAYS.

King Country Chronicle, Volume XII, Issue 1173, 13 February 1919, Page 5

NEW ZEALAND GOVERNMENT RAILWAYS.

REPLY TO LOCO. DRIVERS' ETC. ASSN. The follow in* letter has been forwarded by tha Minister of Railways to the General Secretary, N.JJ. Locomotive Engine:!rivers, Firemen and Cleaners' Association: — Sir, —I am in receipt of your tetter of the 31st ultimo, and have atresdy informed you that bith the of;er societies repressnti»>g railwayiren. namely, the Amalgamated Snciet? of Railway Servants and the Railway Officers* Institute, are tesking interviews with me through their executives, and tbat I am meeting those societies, as well as the executive of your Assoeiiti in, durirg the oresent month. You mast be well aware that it would be impossible for me to cive at our interview next week any definite promise as to th<? extent to which the locomotive men's requests can be met before I have discussed the whole qaetliorj of improvements in pay and conditions affecting the great majority of the r»ihvaymen with the societies who represent tbem. Your Association comprises (ess than 10 per cent, of the total rsil*»ymen employed by the Government. It is clear that if all the demands advanced by you on behalf of the locomotive running men are areed to prior to the hearing of the requests of the other two organisations, the interests of 00 per cent, who constitute the bulk of the r*ilwaytnen will bo unfairly prejudiced. The Amalgamated Society of Railway Strv*nts and tin Railway Officers' Institute claim, and clsim ritlMy, tbat the interests of their members mo»t he fully and deliberately considered before the Government is committed to any large scheme of revision of pay and conditions involving a heavy additional exoenditsr*. The requests now being advanced by the different nrganisatiana involve tin Department and tbe cnuntry in an increase in railway expenditure of several hundred thousand pounds per annum, and will necessitate a permanent increase either in railway rates and fares or in taxation. Therefore, if the just demands of sll brmchet of the service are to be accordrd careful and impartial consideration and the rights of the public protected, it is necessary that all the reqaeats should b=> beard and fully discussed and tbe coat carefully calculated, so that no one section of tbe railway servants be given priority of treatment by me in connection with the improvements. 1 bave promised to meet yoor executive next week so as to give them the fullest opportunity of stating th* wishes of the members of yoor Association and adducing all the arguments in favour of the alterations you are advocating and bave undertaken to meet the executives of the Rail»«y Officers* Institute tnd Amalgamated Society of Railway Servant* during the fortnight following, but you mast not expect any definite pronouncement from mo in regard altered rates of pay, etc.. until the case as affecting all railwaymen has been placed before me and considered.

I a*n fully in sympith? with the re*sonnbte aspirations of the railwsymsfi to obtiio improvement* in pay nnd canriitions by a revision of the schedule to the 1912 and 1913 Act# a«td the regulations, now th*t the war it practically concluded. As soon, therefor**, a* a fair and comprehensive scheme can be prepared embodying the requirements of the railway servants a* a whole, and thp cost has hen calculated so as to determine whether the public can be fairly aidced to bear the additional co;»t to the extent required, I shall be quite willing ta brine a scheme of improvements in condition:* be for# the House with tha object of obtaining .-sanction for the new rate# of pay. this new seheno to become operative ai from April lat ne*t.

W. If. HERRI ES, Minister of Railway*. Wellington, February 4tb f 1919.