The Railway Men.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 6954, 8 September 1890, Page 3

The Railway Men.

TO THE KDITOK. Sib, — I see tbat several of the permanent; hands on the Eailway have been dismissed, the service for refusing to help to unload the vessels in Ly ttelton. Some of theße men are platelayers, taken from different lengths. The Commissioners shelter themselves under Rule 19. Now, I contend that loading and unloading vessels in Port iB entirely outside the duties of the Bailway platelayers' department, and the Commissioners had no more right to call upon these men t" such work than they had to duK-o to the General Assembly of New Zealand. Then again, by taking these men off their lengths they were breaking their own rules, became these rules provide that a certain number of men must always be on duty. Suppose that an accident had occurred on any of the lengths from which the men had been removed,how would the Commissioners have felt P I take it, Sir, that they would have rued the day that the men were taken off their regular duty at flhe beck and call of Mr Capitalist. I trust: that; this matter may be fully enquired into, and that those men who have served the public, some of them for twenty years, may have the heartfelt sympathy of the public—lam, &0., , NABBOW GAUGE.