TRAINING OF RAILWAY MEN

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LVI, 29 December 1924, Page 3

TRAINING OF RAILWAY MEN

lit their report the Railway Commissioners comment- adversely on the absence of any facilities for tho training of younger members of the staff in lailway .work. There was no regular Raining arrangement applicable to the whole of the staff, and subject to examinations at regular intervals. Nearly all railways had realised the need for the'systematic training of their'employees in order to develop a more enlightened personnel, and it was a matter of urgency that a definite scheme of this character should he introduced in New Zealand.

Classes might, advantageously be arranged in conjunction with the educational authorities at tho various centres. Uic Railway Department should co-op-erate in such classes;, both by providing the men qualified to teach railway subjects, by donations towards cost, and by providing free travelling facilities for their employees to attend such classes. Advantage would also accrue from the publication, by the Department, of an official journal, as was customary on most railways.

Closely associated with this question was tho need for experience on other railways. Practical education could only he fostered by this means, and tliosov who indicated the possession of suitable qualifications should be induced to study the railway problems of Australia, Great Britain, and America, in order to obtain wider vision. Alternately, tours on the railways of South Africa and the Argentine, which were developing their railways rapidly, would bo advantageous. The Commissioners recommended that three or four officers be selected annually to visit the railways of other countries, and upon their return to report upon the' their experience. In 1925 the Railway centenary celebrations would be held in England, and delegates from the world’s railways would be present. This would be a most, opportune time for selected officers to visit the Old Country, and consideration might well be given to this.