NEW ZEALAND RAILWAY OFFICERS' INSTITUTE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 6089, 28 January 1898, Page 1

NEW ZEALAND RAILWAY OFFICERS' INSTITUTE.

♦ The annual meeting of the Canterbury branch of the Eailway Officers' Institute wa3 held in the Institute rooms on Friday last, when Mr J. Gray presided, and there was a good attendance. The audited balance-sheet showed that the receipts for the year had been .£B2 12s 2d, and the expenditure .£75 Os . 6d, leaving a cash balance of £o 11s Bd, and the Institute also had assets valued at .£lO 10s 2d. The election of a committee for 1898 reculted as follows: — Messrs J. Frame, W. Barker, F. Truman, M. Penyer, S. D. Hill and D. C. Burns, to represent the traffic department ; Messrs Dansey and Carr the maintenance department, and Mr A. W. Smith the locomotive department ; Mr.H. Thoma3, goods department, was elected secretary. Messrs. Carr, Frame and M'Carthy were elected delegates to represent the branch on the Executive Council at Wellington. The annual report congratulated members on the satisfactory state of the Institute's finances. With regard .to the raiTway'fclassifieatioh 'list," its publication . showed that in many instances and points it was most disappointing, and was very different from that anticipated. During the meeting it was stated that though the Minister had said that the Classification Bill had met with the approval of both the Officers' Institute and the Amalgamated Society, such was not the case, and the delegates were instructed to ascertain, if possible, from the Minister, from what basis the classification list had been formed. Hope was expressed that the Classification Bill would yet bo amended. The report deplored the loss by death of two prominent members of the Institute, viz., Messrs J. Loring and J. C. Macintyre. The delegates were instructed to try and obtain extra payment for members who had to do Sunday duty; that the issue of privilege tickets should be increased to members ; that more time should b 9 paid for when members are absent through sickness j that the maximum number of members in each subdivision of the classification list should be filled up as was intended by the Act, and as had been done in Class 2. The report regretted that Mr Coker's claim* for compensation, recently heard in the Supreme Court, had been lost. During the year the New Zealand Railway Review had been appointed the official orgau of the Institute. It was shown that the membership of the Canterbury branch was 229 on Dec. 31. The meeting closed with a hearty vote of thanks to the outgoing committee, and especially to the late Secretary, Mr E. M. Carr, for valuable services rendered to the branch.