TRAINS v. MOTORS

Southland Times, Issue 19939, 4 August 1926, Page 6

TRAINS v. MOTORS

A PROBLEM POSSIBLE STAFF REDUCTIONS PRIME MINISTER’S STATEMENT. (Our Special Reporter.) Wellington, Monday. That staff reduction would follow if competition cut into the railway a little more was predicted by the Prime Minister (Right Hon. J. G. Coates) in an address at a conference of divisional superintendents and traffic managers. Mr Coates commended the creation of understanding between employer and employee by short addresses and open discussions. In congratulating the department on the successful manner in which all emergencies in connection with its work at the Dunedin Exhibition had been met, the Prime Minister said he now found that a different public feeling prevailed regarding the department’s activities generally. The practice of pleasing its customers had become the policy of the large concern, and it was his aim to co-operate with the department wherever he possibly could. The administration was anxious, said Mr Coates, that the actual leaders of the railway should keep in touch with the staff, particularly those classed as the Second Division, with whom discussion would help to remove misunderstanding and inspire confidence, whether the men were shunters, yardmen, shopmen or running staff. It had to be remembered that if competition cut into the railway a little more, staff reduction would follow and that was what they were trying to avoid. Understanding woyid be helped along by the various officers giving short addresses to the men followed by open discussion.

“I know what it is,” said Mr Coates: “I have worked for a boss up to my neck in mud all day. At night we had nothing else to do but growl, and the finjt thing we did was to growl at the boss: that is only human nature. But when the boss came along and had a yarn we had little to say. Look how it would have improved matters if he had said: ‘Well, boys, what about some suggestions? You know the business better than I.”

Proceeding, the Prime Minister reminded his hearers that a little measure of unexpected attention had an extraordinary effect on men, and it was all good for the service. The staff review would continue meantime, but what they were driving at was a separate department to handle the staff. The budget system had been applied in the shops, but it could be applied in other directions, and the principle being one which the board believed in, and being now a feature of modern railway practice, he thought the traffic managers’ opinions on several points connected with it might be valuable.