THE VICTORIAN RAILWAY TROUBLE.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CIX, Issue 13121, 8 May 1903, Page 4

THE VICTORIAN RAILWAY TROUBLE.

The critical stag© in the Victorian railway trouble has been reached, the men declining definitely to obey the Minister's orders, and if the M ; nistry had the courage of its convictions the: offenders would bepromptly discharged. But, as the discharge of the railway societies' officers would bo followed almost inevitably by a general strike, the Government has discreetly decided to submit the matter to Parliament for its consideration. It may bo as /well to summarise the story of the trouble, so that the position may be clearly understood. A fortnight ago, the Minister of Railways suddenly revived the old question as to whether the railway societies! should be allowed to remain affiliated to a " purely political body," such as the Trades Hall Council, . the- Victorian counterpart of our Trades and Labour Council. The Commissioner was in•strueted to carry out the wishes of the Government that railway societies should not be affiliated, and he therefore called upon the Executives of the Engine drivers' and Firemen's Association the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants, the Daily-paid Employees' Union and the Car-riage-Builders' Society to sever the Trades Hall connection within three days. The members of the Executives, of course were at liberty to resign their positions as officers of the societies, and the delegates to the Council were expected to take a. similar atop. Several Executive officers of the Carriage Builders' Society did resign, but tha societies unanimously informed the Minister that the power to sever .the Trades Hall connection did not rest with the Executives. A week of argument has left the position exactly as it was, the societies refusing to give way .and, in effect, daring the Government to discharge the offending officers. The Hon Thomas Bent is not theman to settle a difficulty of this kind -tactfully. The Victorian railway servants, who have had plenty of experience of his methods, regard him as the " most viciously irritating emploj-er conceivable." And the Irvine Government is not exactly sympathetic towards Civil servants, whose assistance it was that enabled the Victorian Labour Party to make so strenuous a"fightalt- the last elections. It was in order to prevent the State servants from thus"" disturbing" elections, it will be remembered, that Mr Irvine made his notorious proposal to "concede" Civil servants \ separate representation in the State Parliament. MiBent says he is not yet done with the railway men. The various reductions in salaries and wages may have been justifiable enough, hut they were nob enforced considerately, and the pernicious system of "reporting," which was instituted in the. service, did not improve its morale. In fact, the Minister's few months of office have sufficed, by bad luck or bad management, or both, to disorganise the service from top to bottom. The Government has taken the wisest course, in the circumstances, in summoning Parliament. Presumably, it will submit legislation on the subject, and its supporters will no doubt be strong enough to carry through its proposals. There may be circumstances connected with the trouble of which we are noi aware, but it is difficult not to sympathise with the men. It is deplorable, that the 'employees of a great State Department should be thus in open antagonism to the Government, and if (he crisis should lead to'a general strike, as seems inevitable now, the Irvine Government will not improbably find tho position too complicated for its peace of inind.