WORK AND WAGES.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5322, 29 July 1895, Page 4

WORK AND WAGES.

RAILWAY OFFICEBS* INSTITUTE. A society has been organised among the New Zealand railway officers whioh occupies ia regard to them much the came position as the Amalgamated Sooiety of Bailway Servants does with the men. This ia the New Z3alrtnd Bailway Officers' Institute, which was started some six months ago at Auckland, and now has branches in Wanganui, Napier, Wellington, Canterbury, Dunedin and Invercarorill. The inception cf the Institute was owing, in part, to the presentation of a petition respecting classification by railway officers to the Commissioners, whose term of office was at the time nearly at an end. It was felt by a large number of the officers that it wbb desirable tbat they should have some organised body by means of which they could make similar requests, and which oould watch over their interests generally. Accordingly the officers of the Auckland section formed a society, formulated a provisional constitution/ and appointed a provisional executive to act until the other sections in the colony had formed branches and the Institutd was permanently organised. The matter has been taken up with considerable enthusiasm by officers throughout the colony. All salaried officers and all having the oharge of men are eligible for membership. In Auckland every ono eligible, from the traffic manager to the youngest cadet, joined the branch. On the Christchurch section, out of about 200 officers 172 have already enrolled themselves as members. The Christchurch branch was formed two months ago, and at a meeting of the committee on Friday last a telegram was received from the provisional exocutive, stating that the Minister of Railways has recognised the Institute, and that arrangements have been made to hold a conference of delegates from all the branches at Wellington in a few months' time, when the constitution of the Institute will be settled. Mr Lomas will seloct a bricklayer and two bricklayers' labourers at the Labour Bureau office at 2 p.m. to-day for work at Sunnyside Asylum. Preference will be given to a bricklayer who is licensed to lay drains.