THE RAILWAYS.

Timaru Herald, Volume XCVIII, Issue 18084, 18 June 1924, Page 8

THE RAILWAYS.

THE BOARD OF INQUIRY.

liy T —Press Association. WELLINGTON, June 17.

At the Kaa way Wages inquiry Board to-day Mr sterling, for the concluded ms remarks upon, wages, tie argued that in the present case it was not a question ot uuM*ng wages, but of adjustment m accordance witu the fluctuations m the' cost or living. Oil the question oi uours, Mr Sterling said previously men received overtime payment for time worked in excess of eight hours a day, and also in excess or 44 hours pec week, notwithstanding whether he nacl already received overtime for any one day. it did not necessarily mean that a man had to work 44 hours on a flat rate before he received overtime. Ho did not think the Department would be justified in incurring an extra expenditure ot £250,000 a vear out ot the public purse in order to meet the demands of the Society. He challenged railway men to instance anv other workers who had an eighthour day and a 44-hour week in operation together. Ihe trend ot hours in Australia, Britain, and other countries was also in the direction ot a 44-hour week. . ' , Mr Sterling handed in a .return showing that although the tram mileage in'relation to the number of men employed had decreased since 1914 by 3.16 per cent, the wages expenditure had increased by 80.12 per cent. He considered the train mileage was the best indication of the work performed in the various branches ot the Depaitin a running commentary on .Mr Sterling’s speech, Mr .-.Connolly stated that it would take £215,000 per uiimni to put the. men back on a 44-hour week, not £215,000 as had beau Hated. Reviewing the position of the superannuation system in the eai y part of the century, he stated that .he contributions had been increased by GG per cent. This had been purely because of the fact that high-salaried officers had been retiring on big super animation. The basic wage worker had been penalised ever since, and would continue to be so. He attacked the statement made by Mr Sterling, showing the miximum rate of pay earned bv fitters, not the minimum, which was 3d below- that provided .by the award. He complained as to the conditions of houses which were supplied to the workers. The rooms were tiinall, liot-water was not to be liad. Though the rent was cheap tho results were cheap also. Besides, the houses were put there not from altruism, but because the Department simply couta not get men to go there otherwise. The ‘‘raid on wages” had been an absolute raid, right in conflict with the Department’s pronouncement that the men should be given an incentive to work. The Department should not ask for results first. He instanced tho Orongoror.go tunnel, where there had been no foreman, where the men, having got to work on fairly good terms, had actually drawn £BO or £9O per month. Similarly on the West Coast, tutinollers on a co-operative party had drawn £SO to £65 per month. Continuing. Mr Connolly denied that men received time and a quarter' foi overtime. When it came to computing overtime it'was done on the basi9 of a 48-hour week, thus, whereas in tho service a man received 2s 3d an hour, outside men w-ould receive..2s 6d. The trend of decisions of the Arbitration Court was to reduce hours, not to extend them. He argued that the men’s hours should be brought down to 44 hours per week. The cr*. of work ing the railways had crept up, but it was not the fault of the workers.