RAILWAY APPEAL BOARD.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXIX, Issue 137, 2 August 1911, Page 5

RAILWAY APPEAL BOARD.

STAR CHAMBER TACTICS. (Per Press Association.) Dunedin, August 1. A sitting of the Railway Appeal Board was hold to-day to hear an appeal by G. 1). Cameron, formerly stationmaster at Palmerston, against his reduction to a lower grade. The facts were that on tne evening of March 3 the chief clerk at-Palmerston reported to Cameron that a guard on a train was intoxicated. Cameron was not on duty at-' the 'time, ;?nd took'no action in the matter until about three hours later, when lie returned to ascertain the guard’s condition. The guard was sent back to Dunedin as a passenger, another man taking charge of the train. The Department contended that Cameron had shown himself incapable of dealing with cases of emergency and transferred him to Winton, tho salary' there being £229, as against £255 at Palmerston. At tho outset of the hearing appellant’s advocate, who had been supplied with a precis of the evidence given at tho departmental enquiry, asked if bo was entitled to a copy of tho complete evidence. 'ldle Chairman of the Board (Mr. Hasolden) said he did not know whv the Department did not supply full evidence.

Mr. Davidson, representing the Department, said the precis was a very fair statement of the evidence. The Chairman and Mr. Cray, another member of the Board, then started to compare the precis with the fv.il evidence, but before going far the Chairman said tine precis was of no use, and was misleading. After further discussion, Mr. Davidson said ho would permit Mr. McPherson, advocate for appellant, to see Cameron’s evidence, but nothing else. The Chairman: “I won’t hold an enquiry then. I won’t sit.'’ Mi. Davidson said Ire would hand over the whole evidence under protest. The Chairman reiterated that otherwise ho, would not sit. It was contrary to the first principles of justice. Mr. Davidson said ho had protests eel because ho had no instructions in the matter, and he had to guard against an ulterior action that might bo taken. They had to meet on all hands an attempt to put the Department in a false position. An adjournment was then made to enable Mr. .McPherson to peruse the evidence. _ , After hearing the evidence of appellant, the Board '-esorved its decision.