THE RAILWAY SERVICE

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXI, Issue 18972, 25 March 1924, Page 5

THE RAILWAY SERVICE

PAY AND CONDITIONS INVESTIGATIONS BY WAGES BOARD (Per Press Association.) WELLINGTON, March 24. The Wages Board set up to investigate questions relating to pay and conditions of work in the railway service commenced its sittings to-day, Mr H. D. Acland (Christchurch) presiding. The Minister of Railways and the General Manager of Railways were present at the opening. The discussion is open to the Press, except such portion as it is decided to conduct in committee. The first question debated was the increase of 2s 6d per day sought by the A.S.R.S. for its members. Mr "Connolly, president of the A.S.R.S., said the board was convened primarily as a result of the failure of negotiations with the Minister in regard to the wages question, which was of paramount importance to the men, and upon which they desired an early decision. He outlined the progress of representation made by the Secretary to the Department since the conference of February, 1923. There was growing dissatisfaction among railwaymen with the present rate of wages and the conditions of employment. Recent negotiations had been broken up by the society as it appeared that the Minister had no definite offer to make. He maintained that in consideration of the rise in the cost of living the men were entitled to an increase and to a decent standard of living. At this stage of civilisation a man’s reward should not be based upon what it cost to him, but something higher. If the Department or any other employer of labour want the best results, they must offer some inducements for the workers to do their best in their particular iudustry. He pointed out the heavy responsibilities of men employed in the carriage of passengers, and of the danger to themselves on the road. He also referred to the hardships caused by the system of transfers, which prevented men joining educational classes or clubs, or indulging in other social ties. Mr Connolly went on to deal with the case of the Society in justification of the claim for half-a-crown rise in the daily rate of wages. Mr Sterling, for the Railway Department agreed that men should have a decent standard of living and an incentive for good work. On general principles, he thought the parties were at one, and he complimented Mr Connolly on the case ho had put up and the lack of bitterness with which he had presented it. Before the Railway Wages Board, Mr Sterling, second assistant general manager, said the N.Z. Railway Service compared favourably with other similar industries in the matter of pay. A case had not been made out for an increase in pay. There was a 44-hour week almost throughout the service. The 44-hour week was costing the department a very large sum of money — £253,000 more than the old 48-hour wecK. did. At present a working day was eight hours. Over that was paid for as overtime. He could not find that the 44-hour week was general on any other railway except that in Queensland. Workshop men had a 44-hour week, but running men had 48 hours. In England they had modified the 48hour week on a definite representation by the five big companies that no company could stand these conditions. Tramways in New Zealand worked six days of eight hours, and got no overtime on the week, though they got it on anything over eight hours in a day. He suggested going back to the 48hour week. At the conference before the Minister, the men’s representatives had urged that going back to the 48hour week would result in some of the men being dispensed with. He did not think that would be the case. It was many years since there had been retrenchment of the permanent staff. The point was that if men worked 48 hours there would be more money to distribute among those who did the work. He thought the representatives of the men had said he did not see that his society should concern itself much with cost, but, however that might be, the i aspect was one that the Department had to consider. Increase in the wages bill had been much more than the increase in the cost of living. In 1923 the bill was £3,448,000, which repre- , seated a 75 per cent increase on 1914 > and a 50 per cent increase on 1919. In 1921 the revenue was £6,908,000, and in 1923 £6,643,000, and these figures showed that the income of the service had decreased during that period. Someone had spoken of night work railway men did, but it should be added that they got time and a quarter for night work. The conceding of the demand for an increase of 2/6 per day would cost the Department £656,849, which equalled 10 per cent of last year’s revenue. This, it would appear on the surface, would necessitate an increase of ten per cent in freight rates, but in fact as every increase in fidghts tended to drive away business, an increase of over ten per cent would be needed. He submitted that from the point of view of the cost of living, the society was not entitled to an increase, nor was it from the point of comparison with other portions of the community who were doing similar work. The railway service could not bear the burden of an increase. Having regard to the condition of the country, it would be a bold man who would say the country could afford to pay further taxation to meet the increase now desired. Mr M. J. Mack said the conference was probably the most important dealing with wages and conditions that had ever been held or probably ever would bo held, as he feared that the foundation of the arbitration system was being tested. It remained to be seen whether they could arbitrate. Other countries had already said arbitration had failed, and that a worker’s chance of getting what he considered he needed depended on his strength. He hoped the system would not fail, as he deprecated the use of strength. He did not believe in the importance that was attached to the Government Statistician’s figures. What was the Arbitration Court for? He had collected particulars which showed the average number of children in railway families was four, the cost of household per month £l9 18s 3d (or per week £4 19s 7d) and rent 15s 9d per week. It was a condition precedent to fixing wages that a man should have a fair standard of living. It was all very well to say the average family in New Zealand contained two children, but the average in the railway service was four. Families of two would not maintain the nation, and if wages were kept down there would be reduction in the size of families. Mr Sterling said rents were fixed so as not to exceed per week one day’s

pay. The average rent was 8/- per week. Mr Mack said that if a man was getting 14/- per day that was his weekly rent. He asked if low wages were in the interests of the nation. In the train of low wages came disease, crime, industrial strife, bad housing, slum conditions, race degeneration. Whenever wages were reduced some one had to go short of something. The men had made up their minds definitely not to agree to an extension of hours from 44 to 48. What struck them as strange was that the Department suggested an increase when they were not working their men 44 hours. The cost of the reduction of hours from 48 to 44 had not been anything nearly so great as the Department had said. Efficient management should be one ot the things inquired into when wages were concerned. It had been said that railwaymen got certain reductions in travelling which cost the department a considerable sum. He was prepared to give back this privilege in exchange for money. He said definitely the society was not going back to 48 hours, nj matter what the result of the conference might be. Unless the men got some relief he was afraid there would be industrial difficulty. Mr Sterling said he wished to correct the statement that rents rose as wages were increased; that was not the case, and applied only in certain cases. The Court will resume to-morrow.