REDUCTION OF WAGES.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LI, Issue 69, 20 February 1931, Page 11

REDUCTION OF WAGES.

ItAILWAYMEN’S RESOLUTION

At a meeting of the Palmerston North branch of the Amalgamated. Society of Railway Servants last evening, the following resolution was passed and will be forwarded to the head office of the society:—“That this large and representative meeting of the Palmerston North branch of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants vigorously protests against the Government’s proposal to reduce the earning capacity of its members by a 10 per cent, reduction in wages, on. the grounds that the railwaymen of the Dominion, particularly those lower paid, have already been heavily penalised by the loss of night rates and ' other conditions. which brought them down to the minimum wage-earning capacity per week. I’Hither, as from February 1 many members have had their house rents increased by as much as 100 and lot) per cent thereby further penalising our members. We therefore call upon the National Conference now sitting m Wellington to urge all branches of the service to resist the attempt to impose the proposed 10 per cent, reduction, as those of the lower-paid members are now .on the bread and butter line of

existence. The proposal to further reduce these members instead of the highly paid ones of the service will meet with strenuous resistance from this branch of the society, and those members of Parliament voting for it will be remembered at next election. PREMIER’S PROPOSALS. STATEMENT BY MR W. J. POLSON. Per Press Association. Feb. 19, “The best investment New Zealand made was the sending of Mr Forbes to the Imperial Conference,” remarked Mr W. J. Poison to-day. “While there he saw the debauching effects of the dole, and realised the serious situation to which the Mother Country was drifting. Through contact with prominent men of the Empire he obtained an insight into things that he could never have got had he remained in New Zealand.”

Mr Poison said he believed it was the duty of all thinking people to get behind the Prime Minister. Whether he went as far or further than all of rrs wished was not the question. The situation to-day was fraught with possible catastrophic consequences to the Dominion. Only united action by a moderate section of the House could save New Zealand from going the way of Australia in the near future.

The speaker added that it was his intention personally to support the Government in the courageous action it was taking. He believed that view would be taken by many members of Parliament who were not members of the United Party. Mrs Forbes’s proposals were obviously intended to meet a uniquo situation without doing injustice to any section. He sought to spread the sacrifice among all., “In the meantime,” declared Mr Poison, “we have to be grateful for a man of courage as the Prime Minister has shown himself.”