RAILWAY MEN'S WAGES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2840, 19 August 1908, Page 27

RAILWAY MEN'S WAGES.

SOME IMPORTANT CHANGES

In the latest Gazette there are some .m« portaftt changes announced in the wages of railway servants. The principal regulations gazetted in 1906 are amended, and a new schedule is made as follows : — •

1. The age of the applicant at the time of his becoming a member shall not be less than the minimum nor greater than the miximuni following : —ln the first! division : As a cadet 16 to 17 years last birthday. In the second division : Aa an apprentice 15; as a rivet boy 16, as ajunior porter 17 to 18, as a junior surfaceman 17 to 18. as a junior striker 17 to 18, as a junior 'machinist 17 to 18 t as a junior labourer 17 to 18, as a cleaner 17 to 18, as a surfaceman 23 to 34-, as a. labourer 23 to 34-, as a tradesman 23 to 34. 2. Guards, enginemen, and firemen when absent on duty from headquarters at night will be paid a night, allowance of 5s per night where no sleeping accommodation is provided ; and where sleeping accommo" dation is provided, 3s per night.

3. (a) No member shall if he is married, or is a widower with a child or children, receive a salary of less than £130 per annum, (b) No member who is 22 years of age or upwards shall receive a salary of lese thnn £100 per anum. (c) For tha purpose of giving effect to the last two preceding subclauses every member shall receive by way of special family allowance such additional sum as will raise the salary to which he ie entitled under the schedule to '"The Government Railways Department, fbsvlfication Act. 1907," to the rate of £130 per annum in oa«p (a) ami £100 per annum in case (b). (d) Such additional sum shall, in the case of each such member, be paid in tho same manner and subject to tho same conditions as his salary under the aforesaid schedule, (c) The right to such additional sum shall be deemed to commence on the date on which i\ys member furnishes to the gene-ral manager satisfactory evidence that he posse6S«s the qualification entitling him thereto; and the firsfa payment shall be made with the first payment of schedule salary after that date.

The part of the schedule relating: to tha ages of commencement in the service aro not greatly altered, the differences being that junior porters, surfacemen, strikers, machinist*, and labourers, as well aa cleaners, are permitted to join the service a year earlipr. the previous regulation having fixed the- afire at 18. In -the case of labourers the sare is fixed at from 23 to 34, in place of 24- to 34- as previously. Tlivet bovs= and tradesmen were not men' tioned in the previous regulations.

Some of the Sydney shopkeepers are em* ploying female ■detectives for the suopression of shop-lifting. The manager of a Sydney retail firm states that the- depredations of chop-lifters cost the firm £2000 a year.