RAILWAY SERVANTS.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 5731, 28 October 1905, Page 5

RAILWAY SERVANTS.

IMPORTANT PROPOSALS. INCREASE IN WAGES. FORTNIGHTLY PAY INSTEAD OF MONTHLY. AN EIGHT HOURS DAY. An important announcement was mad© by Sir Joseph Ward, Minister for Railways, in tho House of Representatives; yesterday afternoon. Sir Joseph Ward said:—l promised hon members that before tho session closed I would state to tho House what is proposed to ho done in connection with tho alterations in tho pay anti ■ other matters connected with tho Rail- 1 way Department. I propose to rnako that statement now, and I feel that it will bo of material interest both to tluv members of tho House and tho colony as a whole, as well as the cmployoos« I would also like to say that tho mat* ter is necessarily a very difficult one. Tiio Railway Department has a very largo number of employees. There are various divisions in tho service, and it is, as I say, a very complex department, in.tho matter of tho regulation of pay and hours and tho general position of tho employees. They have varied duties to perform under varying conditions, and for that reason tho administration of tho railways requires, before, a movo is made in tho direction of 1 material alterations, that it should Iks' done with care and judgment. They must, at tho same time, necessarily h<t comprehensive, and I think I can, without egotism, say that every .effort hasbeen mado to ensure those qualifications being exercised. THE PROPOSED INCREASES. , It is proposed to make provision oisj tbo Supplementary Estimates for what I; am now indicating, except those por--tions which come into operation in tho’ next financial year. It is proposed tm grant an increase of Cd a day to all l shunters, storemen, horso-drivors, portJ ers, labourers, juniors, watchmeiy crossing and bridge-keepers, machinists; strikers, holders-up, fcttlcrs, furnace' 1 men, and helpers, leading labourers.,,, skilled labourers, train examiners, lift-; ora, coalmen in charge of steam pumps,* coalmen, shop enginemcn, cleaners,! donkey - engine drivers, bridgomen,,’, gangers, surfacemen, miners, platolay-j ers, junior jilatelayers, fencers signal! erecters, and linemen. It is proposed' also to make an increase of Is per day! to surfacemen. Tho total number of: men whom this provision' of Gd per day, 1 , which I have just indicated will apply; to is 33-19, and tho additional Is pet* day for surfacemen applies to 1050men. The total number, therefore, affected by tho increase of wages proposecfl is 4399 REDUCTION OP HOURS. In addition to this, I have given thd necessary authority for granting to enginemen, firemen, and guards, signal men and gasmen an eight horn's day lire stead of a nine hours. That, I may say, comes into operation on April Ist next,,' and I shall indicate why that is necessary. The concessions now indicated by mo will have tho effect of increasing, tho minimum wage of railway men to 8s per day to men who are capable of doing a full day’s work. Bridgokeepers and crossingkeepers and watchmen will, receive an increase of 3s por week on their present rate of wages. LODGING ALLOWANCE. In addition to tho increase of Cd and Is per day and 3s per week, as well an tho fixing of an eight hours day, there will also bo provision on the Supplementary Estimates for the payment of an extra shilling per night lodging allowance to engineers, firemen, maintenance, and bridgcinen. This, I may, Bay, dates from April Ist last. Tim reason for that is because, while I felt it necessary to hold over the payment of anything I promised on behalf of. the Government, with tho consent, of course, of my colleagues, I mado thiai promise of Is per night to tho Amal-' ganvatod Society of Railway Servants, and I intended it to come' into operation at onoe, but I. had, however, to wait for pro ) vision being made on tho Estimates, and I am now keeping faith in tho, matter. No doubt the .men liavo Ikmiti: waiting to roe my promise fulfilled bo-M foro now, but they will, I am sure, as! sensible ..icn, recognise that one has to wait for the proper time to have tho; necessary financial authority. ■ I may: also say that tho Government decided, a short time ago to fix tho rate for tho* men receiving 7s per day, that is, bal--last men and others in that category, at Is per hour, which, under an eight- 5 hours day, gives them 8s per day in«‘ stead of 7s, which they formerly received. Under tho regulations at present existing, they would bv this arrangement lose certain privileges which they enjoy. This, to a certain extent, would minimise tho benefit of tho con-, cession, hut I intend to provide that they should again come within tho regulations entitling them to participate'is the privileges granted to or enjoyed by the 'permanent staff. SYSTEM OF PAYMENT. In addition to this, I may say that, from the next railway period (that is, November) tho men in the railway workshops throughout tho colony will bet paid fortnightly instead of monthly. II do not think that it was ever contemplated or desired that this arrangement of fortnightly pay would apply to the first division* or to others outside tho workshops. Tho men in the workshops are in a different category to tho men employed in the first and second divisions/ and this alteration is intended to apply to them only. Members would realise what a change of this sort means when put into operation for tho first time when dealing with so large a body of men, when I toll them to ensure the payment of wages fortnightly in tho workshops ' alone, involves . an extra vote this year of £9500; in other words, it means that one extra pay dayis forced into this year’s operations, which, under tho old conditions, would have come into next year's. Members will see that on tho face of it it is a very right and proper thing to change tho' pay day to fortnightly instead of monthly in view of tho fact that housenont and cost of living have so largely increased, and it is a benefit which will be much appreciated by theme men. DATE OP THE CHANGES. Regarding tho date of the coming into operation of these different rates, it is proposed to bring the increase of sixpence per day to tho various men of tho second division that I have mentioned and to tii© surfacemen from November Ist next. Tho fixing of the eight-hours day for the enginemen, firemen. guards, gasmen, and signalmen will come into operation April Ist next. The amount that is involved in ■ these increases in wages which I have

Indicated, which come into operation on November Ist next, will involve an annual expenditure of dfi,973, and, with tho additional amount required to make provision for tin: eight-hours day for onginernen, firemen, guards, signalmen, ami gasmen, which will involve an •additional expenditure of .£21,000 per annum, members will see that the total sum involved in the increases I am Bkotdhing will amount to £03,973 per annum to (lie members of tho second division of railway employees. JUSTHTf CATION FOR THE INCREASES. Members may ask whether, as Minister in charge of the department, X Feel I am justified in making, this recommendation to the House, hut I have no hesitation in saying (hat X am justified in doing so. X say so for this reason, that members must recognise that t hough this represents large _ figures, when it is considered that it is spread over a tremendous service numbering now over '.MX) employees, and when you cm(imnoce to adjust rates of pay so as to bring them fairly into line with what they aro entitled to, tho reason for the justice of tho increase will bo apparent- Then it must ho remembered that the'revenue of our railways is very largo, and is increasing enormously. I am not going into the question of railway rovtmuo at present, but X am right in saying that it is a largely increasing rovenuo. I shall not takeup tho time of the House further titan to say that this matter has_ naturally required a great deal of investigation and a considerable amount of anxiety before arriving at a decision as to what I was justified in recommending to my colleagues. My recommendations have received, t-ho unanimous consent and approval of my colleagues, and unless wo had been unanimous after tho full information was placed before them, X would have had some hesitation in placing these proposals, comprehensive and justifiable as they are, before tho House. My belief is that in giving effect to this proposal wo aro putting tho second division of tho railway men In a position that they will, I am sure, realise is for their general benefit. I hopo, and I say so with all sincerity, tliat in tho recognition of what Parliament proposes to do. in this matter, they in turn will realise that it must cover a very considerable period. Xt ,is dono with tho idea of enabling our railways to bo built up under satisfactory conditions, so far as concerns tho railway men; and I am sure tho users of the railway throughout the colony who have been given* largely increased facilities in recent years will not grudge tbo railway employees the benefits of tbo proposals I have sketched to tho House.