THE FINAL BREAK.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18690, 22 April 1924, Page 8

THE FINAL BREAK.

UNEXPECTED CRISIS. REQUEST FOR NEW BOARD. PROPOSAL ABANDONED. DEMAND AND THREAT. NO OPTION FOR CABINET. [by telegraph.—press association.] WELLINGTON, Monday. The following official statement, reviewing the railway crisis, was issued by the Minister for Railways, Hon. J. G. Goates, to-night :—

"In February of this year the executive of the A.S.R.S. interviewed the Minister for Railways with a demand for an increase in wages and for the setting up of a board to consider further demands from the society for alterations in their conditions of work. The Minister was then in the middle of personally acquainting himself with the many important works that will require to be earned oat on the railways in the near future. The completion of his inspection could not conveniently be postponed and the Minister so informed the A.S.R.S., and intimated that he would be prepared to deal with the demands on his return from the South Island. He agreed that any demands on which an agreement was not reached between the 'Minister and the society should bo referred to a board "The A.S.R.S. accordingly interviewed the Minister again on March 14, attei his return from the South Island and the Minister intimated that ho was prepared to go through the list of demands that was submitted by the society and hear their representations thereon. Although the society had presented 72 demands, the president intimated that they desired to deal then with the first item only, namely that dealing with wages, and obtain the decision thereon before proceeding to a consideration of the remaining items. After hearing the representations of the A.S.R.S on the first item and after some discussion as to whether the other items should be dealt with, it was decided to proceed with th? hearing by the Minister of the representations on the other items.

The First Wages Board. "However, after some items had been dealt with the A.S.R.S. terminated the proceeding;; before the Minister and requested that the board be set up to deal with their claims. This was agreed to by the Minister and a board was set up consisting of three representatives of the Railway Department, three representatives of the society and an independent chairman, as suggested by the A.S.R.S. The order of reference was duly submitted to the society and approved by it and the chairman, Mr. H. D. Acland, agreed upon between the minister and the society. '■This board duly commenced its proceedings and had before it the 72 demands submitted by the society. The first demand was for an increase in wages of 2s 6d per day. The first demand wi 5 fully discussed and the representatives of the society then took the stand that they insisted on a decision'being given bv the chairman thereon before the board should proceed to a consideration- of the other items. The chairman took up the attitude that as all the items were intimately interwoven with that regarding wages there should be a full discussion on all the items, so that he should be in possession of the information -which he considered necessary to enable him to come to a proper decision on the wages question. The representatives of _ the society, however, persisted in their demand that the chairman should deal with the matter as they wished. The chairman could not see his way to accede to that. The A.S.R.S. then summarily terminated the proceedings of the hoard and proceeded to take a strike ballot.

New Board Conceded. " While the counting of the ballot was in progress representatives of the A.S.R.S. approached the Minister and the Government again, and, after some interviews between the parties, a request was made by the representatives of the society for the setting up of another wages board. The Minister submitted this request to Cabinet, which agreed to comply with what had been asked for. There was some difference of opinion about the person to be appointed as chairman, but it was agreed at this stage {10 p.m. on Saturday) to allow the details to stand over until Monday. " On Monday morning a message was received from the society conveying no intimation regarding the proposal of its representatives id set up another board, but conveying a curt intimation that unless the Government agreed forthwith to grant on increase in wages the executive of the society would call the. members out on strike at midnight that night. " As the society --had refused to take the opportunities offered it of justifying its demands before an impartial tribunal and preferred to adopt the course of endeavouring to extract an increase in wages from the Government under threat of strike, the Government felt that it had no option in the public interest but to decline to accede to the demand of the executive of the society. • " It will be seen from the foregoing short statement of facts that the Govern'ment has been willing to meet the society as far as it reasonably could with a due regard to its duty to the public. The responsibility for the present position must therefore rest on the executive of the A.S.R.S."