THE RAIL CRISIS.

Waikato Times, Volume 104, Issue 17503, 10 September 1928, Page 11

THE RAIL CRISIS.

“ EQUAL SACRIFICES.” PLANS FOR JOINT DISCUSSIONS. i i ; —r— — J L‘! .* i * A London paper says:—A united effort is to be made by the railway managements and workers to overcome the serious -crisis which resulted in a drop of £4,500,000 in the revenue of the four great railways in the first half of this year. At the 'closing session of the annual conference of the National Union of Railway-men at Bristol, Mr J. H. -Thomas, M.P., the general secretary, said railwayman were prepared to make sacrifices equally with the, managements to solve the problem. They knew -that if the railways went under they would go under with them. He added:

“If the fianancial position of the railways is such that they cannot borrow new -capital development must he hampered, and the employees will be the first to suffer. We are prepared to make a contribution to try toi-solve the difficulties. We shall do* it by facing the facts—not by placing an unfair burden on one section or by interfering with a fair recognition of our own men’s economic position, but with a desire to do what is right Sir Josiah Stamp, president of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway, denied emphatically that any proposals had been formulated or even tentatively suggested for the consideration of the railway trade unions to ■meet the financial' difficulties of the railway companies. He added: “We have not even reached the stage yet of arranging a meeting with the unions and detailed proposals have not been discussed informally. Whatever conversations there may have been have been of the most informal kind and no scheme of any kind has so far been suggested. It can be stated quite definitely that any scheme which purports to outline proposals the companies will make to the unions is not in the slightest degree authentic.” Mr Felix Pole, general manager of the Great Western Railway, told a reporter: . , “So far as I am aware no formal suggestions have been put forward by the men’s leaders. The managements arc ready to come to mutual arrangements if agreements can he reached, but it is not true that am proposals on the-se lines have been put forward in definite shape yet. “No meeting has yet been arranged with the union leaders, but I a formal meeting will take place shortly.