RAILWAYMEN’S WAGES.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XLV, Issue 12018, 8 March 1920, Page 5

RAILWAYMEN’S WAGES.

GENERAL MSS ATISFAOTION. Per Press Association. Auckland, March 6 Judge Stringer’s report has caused much dissatisfaction among the railwaymen of both divisions here. They will discuss it at meetings shortly, when it is understood a proposal will be submitted that Dominion stopwork meetings be held for a short period to demonstrate the dissatisfaction with the service conditions. Dunedin, March 7 At a stopwork meeting held on Saturday, the following resolution was passed unanimously That this stopwork meeting of Hillside Work shops employees, having read the report of Mr Justice Stringer and the recommendations contained therein, decide to absolutely refuse to accept same, as we consider tiu increases recommended totally inadequate to meet the corftinually increasing cost of living. We cannot agree that railway workers should be content to work for less than ruling wages in outside employment, nor are we prepared to do so. We urge our Executive Council to consider the position immediately, and pledge ourselves to support them In any extreme measures they may deem necessary to obtain justice. Christchurch, March (5 A stopwork meeting of about 500 employees of the railway workshops qt Addington carried a resolution that on account of the cost of living increasing since the Railway Wages Board sat we advise our executive to demand at least 5s a day increase, and pledge ourselves to support them in obtaining the demand; also that the executive be urged to meet at once to decide upon an immediate line of action. It waif also resolved that this meeting, after reading in the newspapers the Hon. J. G. Coates’ partial denial as to the wanton destruction of military garments, still enters an energetic protect, and we further respectfully request him to fulfil his contract with us, as he had payment tor artici s six weeks in advance; we fur tin ask the employees to refuse to acce. t the return of their money until a final reply is received from the Hon. Coates. Ashburtion, March 6 At a stopwork meeting all local railway' servants to-day unanimously decided to support the executive in any action taken, whether,/ ‘go-slow” or strike, regarding the latest wage offer, which was condemned as inadequate, and being especially unjust to single men. A further mass meeting will be held on Monday night. Palmerston N., March 8 One of tho largest meetings of the Palmerston North branch of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants held tor some years, took place yesterday afternoon, when Mr Justice Stringer’s report of the railwaymen’s wages and conditions was very folly discussed, and the following resolutions wore carried uanimously 1. That the Executive Council be requested to refuse to accept, the wages and conditions as outlined in Mr Justice Stringer’s report to Cabinet, and that an urgent meeting of our executive members be convened at once to press for not less than 5s per day increase of wages, when falling any satisfaction or redress within 31 days, a secret ballot of the whole membership of the Society he taken for the purpose of deciding upon a strike.

2, That the 44-hour week be made universal throughout the Service to the members of the Second Division. 3, That the Railway Department, through our Executive Council, have their'attention drawn to the acute shortage of houses in Palmerston North and in many cases of employees who are required to vacate houses with no prospect of obtaining others, and the Council are requested to urge the Department to devise some means to house the employees so situated. % Wanganui, March 8. I Local railwaymen are dissatisfied with the Stringer report, and will probably' discuss the matter at an early date. The bonus arrangement is very adversely criticised, as the married man with no children and the married man with say seven or eight children, are to be treated exactly alike, although the larger a man’s family is in such proportion are his financial difficulties incresed. Again, it is urged that .the single railway r man contemplating matrimony is as much deserving of the State’s consideration as the married man. One snggestion made is that if a single man married within two years from now he should get retrospectively£a*inarried*bonus..