RAILWAYS AMENDMENT

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18838, 13 October 1924, Page 8

RAILWAYS AMENDMENT

CLASSIFICATION LIST.

SIMPLIFYING PROCEDURE.

PROTEST FROM ONE MEMBER. [BY TELEGRAPH. —SPECIAL REPORTER, j WELLINGTON. Saturday. After the Pensions Amendment Bill had been disposed of in the House in the early hours of this morning, the Hon. W. Nosworthy, in the absence of the Prime Minister from the Chamber, said the Minister for Railways desired to have the Government Railways Amendment Bill put through committee and passed, as it was a matter of some urgency. It was necessary to have it on the Statute Book in order to have the classification list completed. He understood that there was no objection to its passage. The Leader of the Labour Party, Mr. H. E. Holland, said that he and his colleagues did not oppose it i:i any way. The remainder of the House oftsoi veu a silence which might be taken for consent and the House went into committee. It was soon apparent that the measure was not so uncontentious as had been anticipated. . . . Mr. S. G. Smith (Taranaki) objected to the portion of clause 2 which provides/for extending authority to the GovernorGeneral to amend the classification of the railway servants by Order-in-Council, thus superseding the need for proceeding by statute as at present. He said this new method of fixing the wages and salaries of the railwaymen took authority out of the hands of Parliament and placed it in the hands of the Minister. It was also an extension of the system of government by Order-in-Council. Ho threatened to divide the House on the clause. The Minister for Railways, Hon. J. G. Ccates, said the object of tht change was to make things more elastic. Before any change in scale or classification could be made now it was necessary to wait until Parliament could consider the D 3 list. That list was always one of the last papers to be laid before Parliament. By the time ifc came down Parliament could do nothing in the matter. Mr. Smith: That is only begging the question. No Objection from Ballwaymen. Mr. Coata, laid that every Order-in-Council woulCi bis presented to Parliament promptly and would be open for discussion Immediately. The bill had been before the Railways Committee and none of the organisations of the railwaymen had objected to it in any way. When the clause was put to the committee Mr. Smith decided not to proceed with his intention of for a division and it was adopted on the voices. Clause 4 provides that officers charged with the duty of weighing goods or live stock shall be required to take an oath to carry out those duties faithfully. The form of oath is prescribed. Mr. F. N. Bar tram (Grey Lynn) asked what wa3 the reason for this. It seemed to him rather stupid that every officer who had to weigh a sheep or & cow should have to take an oath to do it properly. Mr. Coates said that railway weight was the weight of goods accepted all over New Zealand commercially and legally. It was the custom in most countries that the man responsible for weighing goods for the railway was the man whose certificate was officially accepted by everyone. The imposition of the oath was to bring the practice into line with that of other countries. It was very much the same as requiring a postal official to take an oath of secrecy. The bill was reported with .minor machinery amendments introduced by the Minister. The Men Indifferent. On the third reading Mr. Smith reiterated his protest which he said he wished to place on record. He said the Railway Officers' Institute wished the measure to be enacted, to apply to themselves even if it were not made applicable to the other branches. The executive of the A.S.R.S. had said it did not desire to give evidence on the bill, while the E.F.C.A. had stated that it had no objection to its passage. Still he maintained that- the rank and file of the service had had no opportunity of studying the probable consequences of the passing of the bill. Mr. P. Fraser (Wellington Central) agreed with Mr. Smith in objecting to the extension of government bv regulation. In face of the attitude of the railwaymen, however, he did not think any section of the House would the justified in onposing the actioa of the Minister, especfally as he had undertaken, if the working of the system proved unsatisfactory, to review it at the request of any of the men's organisations. Mr. H. E. Holland, Leader of the Labour Party, said the change proposed was not great. The principle was not a good one, but the men were indifferent and they were the people most concerned. Mr. Coates replying briefly, said the change had been thoroughly discussed between the General Manager and the railwaymen. The bill was read a third time and passed.