RAILWAY SOCIETY.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIC, Issue 13460, 5 December 1907, Page 7

RAILWAY SOCIETY.

ADDRESS TO TIMARUtBRANGH,

; A largely attended meeting- of Tailwaymen was held at • Budd's cate on Monday' evening,' when the local branch of ■ ( the A.S.R.S. met to hear addresses, by. their president (Mr Walker) and general secretary (Mr EdAvards). Mr Roberi son,' branch chairman, presided. ~ Mr Walker, who' spoke, first traced the history of the work done by the executive in their: successful endeavours to improve the position and in the-aail-way service, and paid -a,tribute to those members who in the' House,; L and in. com-i mictee, .had, lent, valuable assistance. Me thought a sliding scale would' be prefer'-, able, to the prevailing, system of clateifica-•t-ion," which if brought \. into . - operation would allow members to. reach a, higher grade by length of. service,'■:'. instead of: waiting for to retire -.or-die, thereby cieating a vacancy., , The ;Premier's request for another 2 per cent, on their.:payments Jo .the. Superannuation Fund ; 'to make' better provision for widows, • he considered- was ridiculous in the faue of the fact that 3 percent, was considered sufficient from; many., members, to meet,. general' charges on the fund'; he thought the amount would not approach anything like 2 per'cent, that was necessary to° bring about the improvement so much desired; .Speaking on the question of re-organisation he was .hopeful thai, the Conference would submit, a ,sbund' scheme for. the members' .consideration in that direction, the increased: membership having created an amount of work; that, under the prtseht system they ; could -hardly keep up with".., In dealing wiih''then' paper, " The Railway, Review," he '■• regretted:•'■.that the tone of some of the articles was not what he considered desirable. Hethpught abuse was no argument, and ,to be of use it must.be an impartial^.paper. ■ih&'"prinDing. -should be tendered; for,; and they should lay well defined lines,for the paper to be run on. He congratulated Mr J. A. McCullongh, who was present- by invitation ,on his. appointment to ■ the Arbitration Court, and concluded byvan appeal to Unionists to assis*, in stWhgthening anc? improving their Society. - Mr Edwards, in his address-dealt Chiefly with the differences between the/ executive and the editor of the. '■" Review." Doubtless many were prejudiced; by the continued onslaughts on himself, but he was there to speak without any personal feeling and to show that. under the existing methods the Union was drifting away from tie power of doing good' While he agreed that difference of" opinion was desirable no difference should . be ■"■' the cause of any internal dissension in their ranks, and he deplored the : belittling" and ridiculing of the management in the columns of the paper. He also characterised certain resolutions carried and

published by a southern branch as detrimental to-the Union. Referring to the issue of the paper known as the Gazette," ho defended the Councils action, and considered it was the means of increased concessions owing to exposure of the hole and corner methods that were being adopted. He gave a detailed and lengthy account of the work of the executive, stating that the work done was double that of any previous Council. He referred to the management's attitude owing to personal feeling in the " Review " articles, concluding by congratulating the branch on the - work done and its position financially, complimenting Mr.Hughison on his -satisfactory work as branch s-scretaiy. A number of questions were ai?ked concerning pay for work on holidays, height regulations, publication of " Gazette," <riginemen's dinner hour, amalgamation, superannuation amendments, etc., which were discrssed and replied to. The meeting passed a vote of thanks to both speakers for their interesting addresses. . •