THE RAILWAY SERVICE.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13531, 28 February 1908, Page 7

THE RAILWAY SERVICE.

BIENNIAL CONFERENCE. Per Press Association. WELLINGTON, February 27. 'I tie biennial conference ot the Ainalga nmted Jjueicty o£ 'Railway Servants opeued to-day. -Mr Mack, the liewiv-elected secretary, was present, ami tlife conference decided that he should' take up his duties at once. Mr Edwards, the late secretary, was appointed as his assistant for thi- conferenle. Mr Edward* was alto granted twelve months' leave on full pay. Several hundred motioivs appear on ihe agenda paper, anil it is piobable the confeiencv will last a fortnight. A large number of these relate to wages and classification. There are half a dozen motions echoes of the McCuilough case, in favour of Government servants being given the full rights of free speech. The conduct of "the Railway Review" is to come up for discussion. The conference is not open io the press. AMALGAMATED SOCIETY.

SPIRITED CRITICISM

At i! melting of the Executive Council of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servant*. held last Friday evening, a presentation of a handsome travelling hag was made To Mr W. J. Edwords, who ifc about to retire from office, after eighteen veais" service a,> general secretary. Mr Walker, president, slid that those who knew .Mr Edwards l)eot were extordinsly sorry to feel they were about, to lose his services. J liose on the Council knew veiy well that this was it.it the result of want of energy or neglect i;[ duty, but was the I'ftsult of a. ceaseless eii'ort on the part of the ' Railway Review " to damn the Council and all its officers in the ev<t> of its members, because objection had been taken to the policy of the " Review in assuming an attitude against the authorities of the railway service, which the Council knew and felt was entirely outtside the functions »l the Society, and prejudicial to the befitinterest* of the same. If was a moral certainty that, if the Society paper a\ ai> io be allowed to continue in its attitude of openly belittling and insulting the I General Manager in the eyes of the staft. destruction <f discipline, and _ the encouraging of di>r<sjK-ct muist- nievitabh follow. 'Die fact that a huge number of the older men of the service were reriring on superannuation .and that- those coming in were younger men. with less expei ience in life, was responsible for the

eager support given lo thy " Kcview " in it.i poliev of sensationalism an,l insult. The Council had had reason to ba'tlln against this policy. lutt the power of the paper was .-neli thai it had effectively damned the Council in the ey<-s of the members, a.id Mr Hornsby. it state:-, had openly advocated the expulsion of Mr Kdwards from his office. .Members had taken this advice, but. in doing so, the Council was of opinion t hat, the Society had therein- lost the services of .a. very able mail, and one whose vast experience in tins working conditions of our railways -was of inestimable value to them. The. Council had made this presentation as an earnest of the confidence and respect that the governing body of the Society had in their General Secretary.

Oilier members of the Council spoke in flattering terms of the recipient, and expressed their regret at the Society's loss. Mr Rdwards, in returning thanks appreciative of the kindly act' on tlio pari of rlie Council, said that in many walks of life a man had to suiter for doing what he considered his duty to those he served. Two years ago the Society gavi; over its paper io Mr Hornsby. with unrestricted control, and from that time on the Council had had to contend against a, foaming sea of trouble. Xo man ever spoke tiion; truthfully than their respected President, when he slated that the attitude taken up in the paper against Mr Ronayne and the departmental officers was destructive of discipline; It was more than that ; it was shamefully unfair and undeserved, and the wretched farce was intensified the more seeing that the editor was a member of Parliament, who ought to set a better example. This was 110 mere supposition, for let any broad-minded man take the

"Review" and read (lie open warfare and insulting references towards 1110 (Jeneral Manager, and lie must conic to 110 other conclusion hut that discipline and respoci must lx- destroyed. The railway was a service thai the public dare not iriflu with, for the issutti wen- so great and the responsibilities so enoimous.' Who were the best friends of the lailwaynieii—Hie Executive Council and its unfortunate small following who could trouble between the railway management and the Amalgamated Society if this farce was to lie continued, or tha'r. more unreasonable majority who were blindly following a wild leader? He (Mr Edwards) fell if 110 disgrace to have been out-voted in the Secretaryship to make room for the person advocated by Mr Honisby "under such conditions. The vast, concessions granted to the service, amounting to over half a million of money in the last eighteen years ,and the splendid manner in which each .successive Minister of Railways, had recognised the Society, and done the best the Dominion could afford 'to meet its demands, together with the. very practcal interest and assistance ever given by .Mr Ronayne, demanded a better treatment than a bullying and insulting demeanour at the hands of the Society's paper, the "Railway Review," under" Mr Hornsby's editorship. The Council had pleaded with Mr Hornsby to cease this attitude, but- had received in return insult, and branches had been openly invited to show an open antagonism: towards the Council ,an invitation which some had accepted with very little credit, and had pursued with 110 credit to themselves. All that he (Mr Edwards) could say was that time would show the men wiio their best, friends were, and would show them that sensationalism and bombast had no effective power to do good, and that if the Society desired to maintain the respect of itlie authorities and the public. the sooner it'regulated acordingly the better for the members.