RAILWAY WORK

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25562, 15 June 1944, Page 4

RAILWAY WORK

SOLDIERS FROM PACIFIC REPLY TO OBJECTIONS .[ (Special) WELLINGTON, June 14. A reply to objections being raised by the Auckland branch of the Railway Officers’ Institute to clerical and professional employees of the Railways Department, returned from military* duties in the Pacific, being employed on railway operation and maintenance •work at the rate of pay applicable to that work has been made by the Controller of Man-power, Mr H. L. Bockett. Mr Bockett stated that these men were in no different position from many other clerical and professional men. from other departments of the Public Service and from banks and other commercial institutions, as wsll as from many other walks of • life, who had volunteered to accept manual work on farms and railways and in freezing works, butter and' cheese factories, and who, on their return to New Zealand had willingly accepted the employment for which they had volunteered. The rate of pay, of course, in. all cases that which was applicable to the particular work concerned. “ Position Made Quite Clear ” “It is net correct- to say .that the men returning volunteered for any essential work.” continued the controller. “They actually volunteered for one or more of seven clearly specified types of employment. These were farming, building and construction, freezing works, butter and cheese factories, sawmilling, coal mining, and railway operation, maintenance, cr. workshops.

“In regard to the railway work, it was made quite clear by General Barrowclough in his notices to the various units that this covered Second Division work cnly, and the nature of the employment was also clearly set out on the • survey cards which were filled in-personally by the men before their return to New Zealand. There should be no occasion*for any misunderstanding on the part of any men returning from the Pacific as to the nature of the employment 1 for which he has volunteered, and I am pleased to say that, so far, with the exception of one or two isolated cases, the men have honoured the undertaking given by them before their return, and -have •accepted the work to which they have been directed.” So far as the railway work was concerned, the controller said' that the greatest urgency existed in regard to maintenance work on the tracks and in the workshops, as repair work had fallen into arrears, due to man-power shortage to such an extent that the tracks and rolling stock might shortly reach a serious state unless additional man-power was 1 made available to effect the desired improvements. The necessity for the maintenance in a reasonable and safe condition of the main transport system should need no elaboration. National Interests The controller added that a similar degree of urgency did not apply in regard to First Division clerical and professional employees, and there would be no stronger case for. the return of these men to their previous employment than in the case of very many other clerical workers from State departments and other essential . industries. r

“There is surely little difference bei tween a station master or any other clerical employee of the Railways Department working in the workshops or on- the tracks, than if he undertook employment in a sawmill or a buttter and cheese factory,” added the controller. “In either* case he is onlybeing placed in a job vital to the national interests and for which he volunteered and expressed a preference befobe-his return to New Zealand”