RAILWAYMEN'S GRIEVANCES.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXIX, Issue 93, 9 June 1911, Page 8

RAILWAYMEN'S GRIEVANCES.

SOME PLAIN SPEAKING. “UNDONE BY DEPARTMENTAL REG U RATIONS.” Mr. W. T. Wilson, iu proposing'the :oact of “Parliament” at the railway anployccs’ social at Palmerston North on Saturday night, stated that or any reform as far as the railway service was concerned Parliament was .ot that ideal institution that the Majority of people considered it to be. u their capacity as railwaymen they were debarred from full social and poitical rights. If they required any .Material concession or reform they had to go to Parliament to got it, but they wore in a position that they were unibis to take part in anything of a. political nature. It /seemed very trango to him that a lot of tho couicssions that had been granted to the nen by Parliament in tlio Act should >c taken away from them by the l)c----j.irtmciit through tho regulations, rue time had arrived when the railraymsn should think for themselves, md put representatives in Parliament rho would take their part and help o got them any needed reform, and if .ot, men who would hold on to what rad already been granted to them. Ho vas sorry that Mr. Buick, M.P., could '.ot be present, and lie hoped ho would ,;>on be recovered sufficiently to be ibout again. As far as they were ■oncorned -with Parliament it had not been able to hedp them much, but they •bad found that a great many of the concessions that Imtl.iicen granted had loon filched away by the Departmentd regulations. 'The men should hav?» this in view when electing their representative at the coming election, uid be sure and put men in Parliament who would see that what Pariaimmt bad said the men should have volild be retained for them. The party -t present in power had previously icon supported well by railway servants, but he did not know whether t had been to their advantage or not. The men in the service had not taken my interest in politics one way or mother, and it was time that they •id. While Parliament had done an amount of good it,'had.been overruled and undone by Departmental regulations.