RAILWAYS HAZARD

Northern Advocate, 10 July 1925, Page 5

RAILWAYS HAZARD

SHUNTERS 7 OCCUPATION RECENT CALAMITIES. DEFARTMEN TAL CONCERN/ (Special to "Northern Advocate.") WELLINGTON, This Day. In the House of Representative. 1 ? yesterday Mr D. G. Sullivan (Avon) brought up the matter of the commission that lias been appointed to inquire into accidents to shunters. He asked if it were true,that a board of inquirV had been set up .in disregard, of the recommendation .of * the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants, for an, independent board or a board composed of an. equal number of members of the Department and the Society. He asked if the board appointed, consisted. of the -traffic manager at Waiiganui, tfte assistant engineer at Auckland and » shunter elected by the Minister. The Minister of Railways, the Hon J. G. Coates, said it was true that the board had been set up as stated. It ■was :i board of three members set up under the Railways Act. It was a de- ' part mental inquiry, not a public inquiry. No useful purpose , would be served by having a public inquiry, as it directly affected railway men, and ■what was wanted were representatives \ with some technical, some traffic and somo shunting knowledge. For that reason it was thought wise that the representation should be from the .jfchrec different sections of railway servants. The object was to thoroughly investigate the matter in accordance with the ten points in the order Of reference, which covered every phase of the work. If they had set up a board of other than railway men he doubted if that information would be forthcoming What the department wanted was to lessen the danger and increase the< efficiency; to make it easier for the meff doing the work. -There was -no quarrel; whatever with the A.S.R.S., which ceii. tainly was not managing the railways}" but would be given every possible consideration. ' ■ Mr Sullivan: "They are very'much interested in their lives." ' . ■ 11 No more interested in them than I «m," retorted Mr'Coates with, some emphasis, "and no more interested than is the department. (Hear, hear.) In so far as the Government a.nd Ministers are concerned no one is more, interested or concerned." Mr P. Fraser, Labour member for Wellington Central, muttered some remarks which were apparently disparaging, but coilld not be heard in the Press gallery. 1 When Mr Speaker called for order Mr Fraser persisted and Mr Speaker threatened to name liim. Thereupon Mr Fraser subsided.