DEADLOCK WITH ENGINEERS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVII, Issue 17459, 1 May 1920, Page 7

DEADLOCK WITH ENGINEERS.

VITAL POINT IN DISPUTE. SEPARATE ACTION BY A.S.R.S. EXECUTIVE CALLS STRIKE OFF. BREACH WITH LOCOMOTIVE UNION. [BY TELEGRAPH.OWN" CORRESPONDENT.] WELLINGTON. Friday. Unfortunately the railway strike has not oeen settled. As a result of a conference with the Prime Minister to-day the executive of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants h;>s declared the strike off, but the executive of the Enginedrivera, Firemen and Cleaners' Association did not come to an agreement with the Prime Minister, and the members of this organisation are still on strike. It may be that negotiations will be resumed, but for the present they have ended. There is no arrangement by which ihe delegates are to meet Mr. Massey on any later occasion. Mr Massey also saw the executive of the Railway Officers' Institute regarding the grievances of the First Division men, and a complete agreement was reached at this conference also. Mr. Massey dcclinfd to state the point of difference with the locomotive men, although he said he might publish it in the course of a day or two. The statement by Mr. Massey was as follows " In the case of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants and the First Division men we reached complete agreement. With the locomotive men we ha\c not been able to agree. We agreed on every point but one. There are proposals to which one cannot agree, and this, in my opinion, is one of them. The proposal of the locomotive men on which we disagreed was. in my opinion, unreasonable, and, as head of the Government, I could not I agree to it." Mr. Massey was asked whether he proposed to take step r to get > the trains ruDning, but on this he had no iemark to maie, except to i say that the country could not be held up indefinitely. So, also, ' with regard to the continuance of the Royal tour by train, Mr. ' Massey said that this was a matter still to be considered.