RAILWAY CLASSIFICATION.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 12784, 30 October 1919, Page 5

RAILWAY CLASSIFICATION.

SEVERAL ALTERATIONS TO BILL, . ~ [FfiOU Ottß CORRESPONDENT,j Vi EIjLINOTON, October 29, The Railways Committee returned the Railway Classification Act Amendment Bill to the House to-day with a number of important amendments, and it also made a recommendation that the Government should set up a board comprising; the judge of the Arbitration Court or other Supreme Court judge, who shall be chairman, a representative of the Government and representatives oh. .the, .Railway .Officers’ Institute, Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants and Locomotive Association, the last three representatives to act only in respect of such matters as relate to their respective branches of the railway service., Ihe duty of the board shall be to consider and report upon such questions of wages' and working conditious as shall be referred to it by the Minister. The Railway Committee has amended the Bill by deleting the word “merit” from the cjualificafions for promotion, leaving as Abe essentials “efficiency and good conduct, A new clause provides s that where,the rate of pay is fixed bv role rence to ago the member shall be entitled to increase of pay in every year as from the date of his birthday.' A note at the head of the classification list, empowering the General Manager to promote from any grade to a higher class by reason of special merit or ability has been deleted. .in the schedule of salaries of high officials the former maximum of £1250 is replaced by a minimum of £IOOO, rising by Two increments of £IOO and S? e °? to a ‘maximum of £1250. ■ Ihe c.iief accountant’s maximum is reduced from £IOOO to £9OO with a minimum of £BOO, the Controller of Stores from £9OO to £BOO, with a mini“um of £650, signal engineer from £9OO to £SOO, with a minimum of £650 INo change is made in other first division salaries. , Second division schedules relating to leading hands,. Grade 2, have been varied,by enabling a maximum of 15s od to be naid ■on promotion. A note opposite the classification of junior porters, cleaners, surfacemen, signal erectors and all other juniors, that the increment is not to be paid until the member has been in receipt of the ower rate ■■ of pay for. twelve months brs been deleted. IReoortiiig an the Society hj petition praying • for increased wages, and ■ improved conditions, the Railways Committee' states that as the i, 1 ? dealt ,'n.th in its report on the Railways Classification Bill it has no-recommendation to make. , DISCUSSION IN THE HOUSE. -When the report was presented members showed by their questions considerable interest in the changes made m the Bill by the Railways Committee. Iho leader, of the Opposition said he wished strongly to dissent from the proposal to deal piecemeal with- tlie high salaries question, when the Secretary of the - Post Office, having charge of fifty millions worth of property was getting a winch lower salary than the ueneral Manager bof Railways. , He enumerated similar oases of .underpaid uepart,mental heads. The Railways pul ban proposed to give high-'officers mcraises . which, would enable them to retire- on their option with 7 an. additional £2OO superannuation, though eypry•. year : the. State; had to provide heavy subsidies -to support the fund. He had details showing that a large number vof rajlwaymen could - not' pay their!way out of railway salaries/- The speaker ~ rend a .number of, tabulated

statements of workers’ earnings and expenditure to prove his contention, there was a great contrast between these wages and the large increases to hJghly paid officers. Mr Massey : There has been; a material alteration in the Bill upon my motion. , J Sir Joseph Ward went on to say that he had a list of officers whose salaries aggregated £13,840, all of whom had over forty years’ , service,, all getting all entitled to retire and get .the benefit in superannuation. Mr Massey said that during; the abi sence of Sir Joseph Ward and himself Zealand there was a board of departmental heads, which considered a general basis of salaries for the .officials. 1 his board was consulted in regard „to railway officers’ 'ncreases. : Already m order, to meet the cost of living the Raihva.y Department had raised freights and fares so as to P f W the men, increases totalling 3s a day. if the cost of Hying went up further this would have to bo met, but he behoved prices , woiikT decline in time. lie knew that two branches of the railway service approved of the proposal -to . set up a board to. investigate working conditions and'wages. It was impossible to continue the old system ot the men’s.representatives continually coming to the Department asking tor wage increases, therefore th e Government . was sotting up a competent, impartial hoard to deal wkh the position. If the-board rccominended an increase of pay he would he prepared to accept it. , said that he clearly understood the Prime Minister to. sav in that if a wages, increase were granted he wonld .be prepared to make-it retrospective. Mr Massey: No. J said it then would bceomo a Cabinet matter, and I would Lndation 0 submit xt vnth W recomA Smith urged the Govern-' nn?4 to + , ma , kc an increase of pay to the lower paid mhvaymen until the cost of living declined.' He kneiv from nersqnM knowledge that there were hundreds of, men who could nob their famxhes. on; "the railway Mr Witty expressed the opinion that it the _ hoard promised were let up ” n j,n dl ~ , . wor h properly it f ; ffGct: an .. ll . nin ense improvement to existing conditions.

Mr Veiteh declared that a most unfortunate and regrettable circumstance was the evident fact that the management had lost the confidence of The staff. He contended that the management had been too closely confined'to the office and not m suliicientlv close touch with the men. ‘ After further discussion the report was received.