DUTIES OF THE RAILWAY GUARD.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17745, 15 January 1926, Page 6

DUTIES OF THE RAILWAY GUARD.

NOT ONLY THE PUNCHING OF TICKETS. To the average railway traveller the guard is the man who blows his whistle to start the train and punches holes in tickets. lie is there to answer questions and to see that things are right. That's about all. Little do the travellers who use the railways know or realise the manifold duties a guard has to perform. To be a guard on a train is to hold one of the most responsible positions in the service. DUTIES OF GUARD ON TRAIN. On any train the guard has to furnish a complete and detailed running sheet for the whole train for the whole of its journey, from the engine-driver’s name and engine number to the guard’s name and van number, from starting time till arrival at destination. The guard is responsible for the final computation of the train tonnage, and for seeing it does not exceed the schedule load for the engine, train, and route. He has to instruct the driver as to the work on the road. Rule 186 appoints the guard as the responsible official for seeing that the train is properly marshalled and coupled, loads of waggons sectyely sheeted, lashed and roped, and brakes in proper order. The “ man on the back ” is held equally responsible with the “man on the front” for the proper obedience to signals at stations, though in many cases those signals are not visible to the guard through the smoke screen from the engine, fog, and curve* in the line. In case of engine failures, train break-down and accidents, it is the duty of the guard to protect the train, send necessary telegrams of advice and for relief, to wire for doctor and ambulance if required, and to make arrangements on the spot for transhipping passengers, mails, luggage, etc. AS THE YEARS HAVE PROGRESSED. In recent years much more powerful and better steaming engines have been brought into use, and the guard, owing to increased tonnage, which averages between 30 and 40 per cent per train, has much more work to perform, and responsibility per train owing to the larger number of waggons, more shunting and more clerical work. In connection with the recently installed automatic signalling systems it is contended by the guards that they are called upon to do much extra work. From the moment the train journey commences till it ends the guard is working ai high pressure

against time, and more especially when the train stops at Intermediate stations. In the case of mixed and passenger trains at stations the responsibility for the safety of the lives of passengers tails on the guard in that he must see that all his passengers have detrained and entrained and gates closed before he gives the driver the authority to restart the train. DEALING WITH THE PUBLIC. “ One of the most important phases of a guard’s life is his dealing with the public, said an old and experienced guard, who has retired from the service after forty years. “ Those are the people whom the railways serve, and the guard is constantly among them. He must be tidy and clean in his dress and personal appearance; tactful, civil and obliging in all stress of time, circumstances and weather; keen and alert in detecting fraud, evasion of payment of due charges on tickets, excess luggage, broken windows, etc.; firm and resolute in the putting down of hooliganism, only too common nowadays, smoking in nonsmoking cars, to the annoyance of other passengers; gambling and drunkenness and many other breaches of the by-laws. The guard must be a literal mine of accurate information in regard to trains, stations, stopping places, ticket fares, refreshments, etc., in order to correctl3 r answer the many and varied questions asked him by the travelling public, who, it is only too true in many cases, are put off by Station staffs with “ ask the guard.”

MANY OTHER IMPORTANT DUTIES.

Continuing, the old guard said, “ In addition to having to possess a highly skilled and technical knowledge of tickets and passes, nearing one hundred in number, and their use and availability, the guard has, on almost every mixed and passenger train, and often on goods trains, most important and special train advices to deliver at each station and signatures to obtain for them. He has to take charge of country stations’ daily cash to banking stations, and on pay days has often hundreds of pounds of Departmental money ’in his custody for safe delivery. The guard has a van full of parcels, luggage, bicycles, prams, valuable mails, newspapers, dogs, and ever-in-creasing piles of correspondence for each and every station. And even'station puts in its quota, and a roadside waggonful of s»-all lots of goods also for intermediate stations. He must stop checking tickets in the middle of the train to rush back to the van at a station to see to the correct delivery and reception of all of the above, and then resume where he left off. literally having to think of a dozen things at once. He must be upright and honest to the last degree, having to issue tickets and collect the money for same to the .value of many;

pounds in the year, and yet he must pay the last penny from his own pocket any undercharge he may make under the hurry and stress of time an d weight of responsibilities in his position.” VISITING GUARDS’ OPINIONS. Visiting guards from Australia have freely commented adversely on the system which obtains in New Zealand of a guard of an important train having to spend half his time in cars checking and collecting tickets, while his vanload of valuable property is left unattended and at the mercy of any unscrupulous person who might come to pay it a visit during his absence. Yet the guard on the New Zealand railways is held responsible for the safety of it all. 1