“THE SPOON FED CLASS."

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21217, 24 December 1930, Page 14

“THE SPOON FED CLASS."

TO THE EDITOR. Sir, —With reference to the resolution of the Hillside branch of the A.S.R.S., it may be asked, Which is the spoon fed class? To start with, the railway concessions on lime and fertiliser freights are not intended to benefit the individual farmer, but to enable him, by the free use of lime and fertilisers, to increase the productivity of the land and so increase the business of the railways and advance the prosperity of the country generally. Farm produce is not carried at unpayable rates. This is proved by the anxiety of the motor carriers to secure a share of it. If the carrier can transport the produce over rough hilly roads at a profit, surely the Railways Department should be able to carry it at a profit also over well-built and graded railways. If it cannot the fault lies within the department. The Government railway workshop hands are the most spoon fed workers of whom I know. They get all the advantages which the trade unions outside the service have secured from the Arbitration Court, and in addition enjoy the concessions which the railway running staffs working under drduous conditions of irregular hours and living in isolated places, working dm-ing public holidays, etc., have been granted as some compensation for these arduous conditions of employment—i.e., free first-class railway, passes while on annual leave, and railway privilege tickets at quarter fare at any time, both of these for self, wife (or housekeeper), and children under a certain age. These concessions .cost the department little, if anything, in the case of the running staffs, as they get their holidays during slack times throughout the year, and very few of them are on leave at any one time. The workshop hands have their holidays during the

regular public holidays, when the running staff is hard pressed to handle the traffic, and this, of course, means that it costs the department a heavy sum to provide the workshop hands with transport. I remember one occasion when these hands occupied practically the whole of a heavy Christchurch-bound train.' , The outstanding instance of spoon-feed-ing is the railway superannuation scheme winch was initiated by Sir Joseph Ward to enable the railwaymen to retire after 40 years’ service or at 60 years of ago, with compulsory retirement at the age of 65. The scheme was found to be actuanally unsound and many thousands of pounds—l have not got the figures—have been paid into it to keep it going. On top of this, Air Coates, when Alinister of Railways, lowered the number of years’ service necessary to qualify for retirement on superannuation to 35, and very many railwaymen have taken advantage of this concession. Now consider what this means to a workshop hand who started as an apprentice, clerk, or junior labourer. He can retire after 35 years’ service at 50 years of age or soon after, and by the time he has reached the age at which he would be entitled to the old age pension, he will have got back the money he has paid into the superannuation fund five times. Of course, this does not make any allowance for interest on Ins contributions; but, when allowance is made, this is surely a scandalous case of spoon-feeding public servants and reflects extreme discredit on our rulers. Sir Joseph Ward, when in opposition, sounded a note of alarm, at the proposal to overload a fund which had already cost the country many thousands of pounds. After the United, Party took over the administration evidently its policy was not' to chance losing any votes by cancelling the concession. I submit that the first necessary step towards making the railways financial is to amend the Superannuation Act so that it can pay its way with the contributions of its members without any assistance from railway or other public funds. If you. Sir, could get the figures representing the Government’s gifts to the railway superannuation fund X think you would find that they would pay for any spoonfeeding of farmers by the Railways Department many times over,—l am, etc., “Primary Producer.” [The total contributions from the Consolidated Fund and Working ■ Railways Account to the Railway Superannuation Fund to March 31, 1930, were £1,565,000. —Ed. O.D.T.]