RAILWAYMEN’S DISPUTE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19201, 18 June 1924, Page 4

RAILWAYMEN’S DISPUTE.

SITTING, OF INQUIRY BOARU CASE FOR THE DEPARTMENT (Pee United Press Association.) WELLINGTON, June 17. The Railway Wages Inquiry Board sot again to-day. Mr Sterling (for the department) concluded his remarks upon wages. Ho argued that in the present case it wag not a question of cutting wages, but of adjustment in accordance with the fluctuation in the cost of living. On the question of hours, Mr Sterling said that previously the men received overtime payment for time worked in excess of eight hours a day, and also m excess of 44 hours a week, notwithstanding whether they had already received overtime for any one day. It did not necessarily mean that a man had to work 44 hours on a flat rate before he received overtime. Ho did not think the department would be justified in incurring an extra expenditure of £250,000 a year out of the public purse in order to meet the demands of the society. He challenged railwaymen to instance any other workers who had an eight-hour day and a 44-hour week in operation together The trend of hours in Australia, Britain, and other countries was also in the direction of the 48-hour week. Mr Sterling handed in a return showing that, although the train mileage in relation to the number of men employed had decreased since 1914 by 3.16 per cent., wages and expenditure had increased by U. 12 per cent. He considered that train mileage was the best indication of the work performed in the various branches of the department. MR CONNOLLY’S CRITICISM. In a running commentary on Mr Sterling’s speech, Mr M. Connolly stated that it would take £215,000 per annum to put ifie men back on a 44-hour week, not t 250,000 as had been stated. Reviewing the position of the superannuation system in the early part of the century, he stated that the contributions had been increased by 66 per cent; That had been purely because of the fact that the high-salaried officers had been retiring on a big superannuation. The basic wage worker had been penalised ever since, and would continue to be so until the 25 years which it would take to work off the £3OO limit had passed. He attacked the statement supplied by Mr Sterling showing the maximum rate of pay earned by the fitters, not the minimum, which was Jd below that provided by the award. He complained in ’■egard to the condition of the houses which were supplied to the workers. The rooms were small, and hot water was not to be Had. Though the rent was cheap, the results were cheap also. Besides, the houses were put there, not from altruism, bub occause the department simply would not itherwise get men to go there. The raid on wages” had been an absolute raid, and was right in conflict with the departments oronouncement that the men should bo Tiven an incentive to work. The department should not ask for results first He instanced the Orongorongo tunnel, where there had been on foremen, but where the men, having got work on fairly good terms, bad actually drawn £BO or £9O per month, Similarly, on the West Coast the Innnellors in a co-operative party had drawn *l5O to £65 per month. His Honor: Of course, you know in these cases they do not only eliminate “bosses”—■ hey eliminate “duds” as well. Mr Connolly; Yes, but they give the men no inducement. His Honor; They have always their "hance of promotion by seniority or merit, or is it seniority of merit? Continuing, Mr Connolly denied that the men received time and a-quarter for overtime. When it came to -computing overtime it was done on the basis of the 48nour week. Thus, whereas m the service a inan received 2s 3d an hour, an outside man would receive 2s fid. The trend of ‘he decisions of the Arbitration Court in New Zealand was to reduce hours, not to extend them. He argued that the men’s hours should be brought down to the 44 per week. If the department could run the service for locomotive mem on lower time they could allow other workers shorter time, '’ho cost of working the railways had crept up. but it was not the fault of the workers. The court then adjourned.