CHEAP CARS.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXX, Issue 13091, 3 June 1913, Page 4

CHEAP CARS.

WORKSHOP RECORD AND THE SEQUEL.

\ (Soecial: to Herald.) ; WELLINGTON, this day. i A very ..interesting- railwayman's appeal against redaction in status was recently heard in We*llihgton, the Railway Review's report showing that the case was a sequel to a record in cheap car construction put up by the Petone railway workshops. The appellant was Charles Thomas • iMerrett, leading carpenter; .Petone, now of ' Newmarket, who appealed against his reduction in status for alleged- falsification of accounts in connection with., his work. The chief accountant of the Railway Department, Mr Davidson, .who opposed the appeal, stated that the case arose through the Department's discovery, when checking etist^ -of rolling stock at various workshops, -.that. -.cor s&>_k at Petone waa costing less for wages than similar stock; "built elsewhere. There was no apparent reason ivhy this should be so. Consequently the accounts were carefully scrutinised, and time-sheets checked. As the matter was somewhat serious, an inquiry 'was .ordered. Appellant ivas. .present, and .there .admitted in evidence that he had altered' 'certain time-sheets. As a consequence of his own admission the punishment waa inflicted.' Merrett signed a statement that he was present throughout the inquiry, that he heard all the evidence, had an opportunity of cross-examining witnesses,'.and that he was satisfied, the inquiry had been conducted in a fair and impartial manner. Mr Mack, 'general secretary of the A.S.R.S.y-explained that appellant never admitted falsification. What he did was to show that he had made corrections, but not with' a. view to creating a false impression. According to the rules the foreman should have seen to any corrections. Witnesses were called to" prove that alterations had been, made in the time-sheets, as a result of which the time of men engaged on new car work (charged to capital account) was- diverted to car 1 repairing; the cost of which , comes out of: revenue. \ The > appellant's ' advocate, - : Mr Mack, ! elicited the • fact that men frequently ', at- the end of a paying period booked ' up time in advance, and that if the j description of the work recorded was not correct, it was the custom to charge new work] to repairs,: or vice versa; during the following period. The Board reserved its decision.