CASE FOR RATLWAYMEN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18685, 15 April 1924, Page 10

CASE FOR RATLWAYMEN.

REJOINDER TO MINISTER. STAND ON HOURS QUESTION. COMPROMISE ON WAGES. [3T TELEGRAPH.— PBISS ASSOCSATXaH.] WELLINGTON. Monday. Mr. •M. Connelly/ president of the Associated Society of Railway Servants, made the following statement in regard to the present railway dispute: /. "It would appear now that the Minister, in order to bolster up his already weak case against the railwaymen, has endeavoured to gain the support of a section of the public by telling them what he can give them if they will only assist him in keeping the railwaymen below a living wage, ' pay 3J per cent, and reduce, fares, etc. He has, however, overlooked telling them that several leading and successful business men, who are also economists, have said that low wages and long bourse mean less production, and. this in effect is a challenge to the methods of the department of which the Minister is the political bead. ' " ' ~" s "..

" "If,- as stated, the railways cannot now be worked on a 44-hour basis as : done under the previous Minister, 'then it pro-' vides good grounds why some reorganisation should take place in the administration "of the railways, and .this ,is supported by the views of the chairman of the board, as expressed in his report? "The Minister states that -the Government,, did everything possible to bring about a settlement of the dispute, but his refusal to discuss wages with us does not bear this out, nor do his subsequent utterances ""■ demanding that the men give up their conditions and go back to a' 48hour week in order to get a measure of relief,, suggest that he is approaching the position in a conciliatory spirit. ; ■, "The contention that if the ! men went back to a 48-hour week they would bo 78 3d a week .better off is quite untenable. Figures have been produced to show that in one year 'the- cost of. living rose so rapidly \ that it . reduced the i: purchasing power of . the men's wages . ; by 17s per week.; It requires ; a brief , calculation to see how long:at the same rate it would take the cost of living to absorb the 7s 3d per week which the Minister so generously offers us. I f Briefly, the men would after five months .be in exactly the same place so far'"as the purchasing power of their wages;. is concerned as they are today, but would have made a present of j four boors more of their time per week for other people to make profits off. ~. Fortunately, the members of the society recognise this. .'•:•, :■„-,i "The statement that the fcociety's action in refusing to go, on .with other remits before the wages were settled was unprecedented is without foundation, as at the 1920 wages board progress was made on wages first. It now -seems that white the country'* finances * are in a state of .buoyancy, and there is great prosperity in the countryas stated by* the Prime Minister is",the intention of . the* Government' to reduce taxation at the earliest opportunity, but the Minister is not prepared to allow., the railwaymen to participate in this prosperity. . In taking up this attitude he is -forcing the men to take drastic action to enforce their claim for a fair 2 standard of living for § their wives and children. As stated previously the society is still prepared to forego its original demand for 2s 6d per/day, and negotiate : with the Government on the wage question." ' : -'".- -"' ■■'• - ,: '-' ; .