RAILWAY EMPLOYEES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXI, Issue 9401, 6 January 1894, Page 3

RAILWAY EMPLOYEES.

* TO THE EDITOR. , Sir,— vain I waited for some abler pen than mine to advocate the just claims of this large section of Government employees, viz., v the platelayers and maintenance men on the Government railways of New Zealand— an adjustment of wages equal at least to the current wage paid to the workingman in New Zealand. It is an open secret that any employee who dares to make himself conspicuous by bringing their grievance before the public would be a marked man, and if any of his numerous bosses got an inkling of it he would come to grief- Now, sir, this Seddooite Liberal Government. has been re-ins fcnted by a larjje majority of the horny-handed sons of toil, ana we expect we should receive the same remuneration for the time we ar« working for the Government that we would receive from a private individual. Surely a Government that boasts of being the most democratic in the British Empire will not deny this our just claim. Platelayers and maintenance men are paid 6s Sd a-day. The majority of the maintenance men, whose principal duties are building and keeping bridges in repair and working on the permanent way, are continually kept moving along the line, seldom being located in the one place more than a fortnight. The majority of the maintenance men are married men- and most of their timo are hundreds of miles away from their wives and families, and thereby compelled to keep two homes. Now sir, we receive from this "Liberal" Government the liberal- pay of 6s fid per day, out of which the majority of us have to support' a large family in Auckland and when we pay rent and maintain our family, and also keep ourselves, maybe hundreds of miles away I assure you that we are barely able to drag out a mere existence. Nor is this . the only grievance, say a married man whose wife and family live in Auckland is told off to go one hundred miles up the line. He takes five hours to reach hiß work in the train. He leaves Auckland at five a.m. and reaches his destination at ten a.m. Our " Liberal" Government pays him for six hours for that day, although he in common justice should receive pay for eleven hours. The husband occasionly likes to visit his wife and family. The same stringent rule is applied it he should leave an hour earlier so as to get down to Auckland. Surely this is anything but liberal or even just. Our Liberal Government supplies a hut on wheels for the accommodation of the maintenance men, the dimensions of which are 7 feet by 10 feet by 8 feet. This spacious dwelling-house has four bunks in it. with a stove in the centre. ; You can imagine four men packed in a box like this. The Liberal Government are very careful about) the ventilation in our factories, but their own employees are screwed up into space barely sufficient for one. If our members will rectify this flagrant injustice, the cause of this large number ot Government employees, they will receive the grateful thanks and support of them aIL Five years ago we got 7s per day," but when the Commissioners were appointed 6d per day was docked off us. Surely, now that prosperity has returned to New Zealand, our Liberal Government might give us at leasfi Bs, and pay us for the - time we are travelling j to our work, which would only be common justice.—l am, etc., ' Justice.