RAILWAY WORKERS' MEETING.

West Coast Times, 24 March 1910, Page 4

RAILWAY WORKERS' MEETING.

REPORT BY DELEGATES. INVERCARGILL, March 21. At a special general meeting of the Invercargill branch of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants, addresses were made by delegates to the railway conference in Wellington. The most important statements made by the delegates were as follows; The Minister and General Manager of Railways had suggested 1 certain .restrictions in the administration of the Society’s business (in fact, dictating them) and this was absolutely and emphatically resented by the whole of the-conference delegates. They further considered that it should be made known to the public from Auckland to the Bluff that the whole of the cost of these conferences was borne by the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants and that there was no loss to the Department, in fact, rather a gain, as in most cases those who relieved the absent ones were paid a lower rate of wage and no outside labour was taken on to fill their places. The Minister and Manager had referred to the loss of time occasioned by these men’s absence, and it was, the delegates said, well for the public to know that the Department paid these delegates no wages at all during their absence, but the Society did so as a trades union. The conference considered that it had every right to conduct its business in its own way as long as it conformed with the laws of the country. It was pointed out by the delegates that these conferences were simply for the adjustment of wages, hours of labour, grievances, and privileges, as any infringement of those items could not tend to’ the efficiency of the service. In fact, the rule which was always trotted out about the public safety must be and was jeopardised by any infringement of existing regulations which caused dissatisfaction to

employees. It was not always the Minister or General Manager that was to blame, but indirectly they were, inasmuch as they goaded their subordinate officers to work their districts cheaply and these men overrode all other considerations. The conference considered a proposition to come under the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, but the time was considered unripe at present, The. future might, however, demand It, That depended Qn developments, but the whole of the delegates deprecated sectionalism at any price. It was a unanimous opinion of the conference that those who were responsible for the Engine Drivers’ Association were no friends to unionism and had certainly attempted to weaken the position of the railway men in the Dominion. The conference was also in favour of the forty-eight hours’ week for all railway employees, exactly as outside employers of labour were compelled by law tp adhere to this system It had In the past been a favourite pastime of the management to endeavour to point out the great privileges they gave railway men, but they were woefully or wilfully ignorant of the fact that private employers granted their employees privileges, from the small tradesmen to the greatest merchant, -o that argument fell to thp ground. A deputation from the conference was appointed to wait on the Minister in reference to the principal questions discussed at the conference, and R was to be hoped that fair adjustment would be made. It was pointed out that tl«e Society wished to work in tire most harmonious way possible with the management, but there was a limit when the management attempted to dictate to them as regarded their internal affairs.

The delegates wore accorded a hearty vote of thanks for the account given of their stewardship,