RAILWAY SERVANTS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 747, 21 February 1910, Page 6

RAILWAY SERVANTS.

RESOLUTIONS OF CONFERENCE. . The conference of the' Amalgamated ;; Society'- of Railway- Servants its sitting on Saturday. itetoWttdii was adopted:— '.:.Ti-.,--T,",That the regulations requiring :48 hours' ;'-;::;!,;to beworked- in .a week before- overtime '• : Y / rates Vara , paid be abolinhod, each .. day -1 to :* stand ;by; itielf,;' this to apply,, -.t'cT.gfcjie ° workshops." Tho '.existing .'regulation^,'as 'members; of, the':'workshops,! is fetJiat'iwhereymeh are; called upon to. wort

overtimo .iii':.any week ■ wherein any ;of ;S| : .yHhor'fpur on'.that men who have worked overtime earlier ; overtime,', and: arc only, paid at. ordinary rates, . r.otwithstanding the fact that. they may have ;.-. . worked right through the' night'.-' •<

■ ,-Tho - case was. considered of: a .'member S;sji;;Trh6;ihad ';beeri;. adversely on; b'y' gg:superior officer,: and had applied! for . ' a copy of the report and, had been. rofused.-': In this case. the- officer- responsible feS'-'S for. making.' thereport! had!failed ; to':com.. vrith the General Manager's instruc- . -v! tions, and therefore ' the member: reported : on-had" no opportunity- of defending- him-. .-"self.;, ?It .was made-clear that- t there ;aro !- • !.many cases', 'wherereport's V are made .i'-" '' against ineinbers.wlio'.have,not been given. Sri§:r an■ opportunity .of Jknowing .precisely what ; been'- charged;. with.-;: ,'lt was .. resolved' to place the ease before' the i'ivV?;Minister.:;i •

-i ; Stiongvrepresentations yreve; made by J i connection -'-with , : the; ;issue:;. of fare [ ■■ books for;. ; collecting i a "large;: proportion;. of: .the, Krevenue derived.-'from fares; 1 -Although oii some sections fare: books t !j^u:'haye : -beeh;;suppli e d; .in': the majority of 1 casesthe members' have to make out '( ;Y-• V their own fare books.'- It was resolved: , iifcs-t."Thatthei; Department - : be ' S? c :'supply>up-tfl-date fare books." ' ' • ; ;Mihisterihl 'power; of-, veto in con-, .1 nectio'n 'with ■ decisionsof ..the'. Appeal ; " ; Koard gave rise .to a.long .discussion, ,and . I ;'. : /t w^s, unanimously , resolved: /"That the ( Ji;Srt^:necessity';'6f;!theidecisions;-of''tlie Appeal :i ;rV:ii:-IBpards:'.bwhg v, 'fihal;/:'Tliev ; justifications -, 1 'urged by tho Minister in support of 'hi'j ! rS-s.acn6hvin^regard ; ;tq : oyarious ;-cases;:.ii-ere ;i Kfftf?s®Terely^-'icriticisedj- ],bneA:insfahce:;i;]3eihg :-l • .cited where, it,; is stated,- the : Minister i ■;• inade. no fewer, than,. three . distinct .state- ,i :'nients in'justification of the veto. > :, ' : The", action of ...the'Department in re-, i !.:^5V;r; ,v strictihg 'the : ;< - vocates, from receiving full consideracopies of. cor- ;< respdhdence' ! r'elatihg to .their caseV^thereby . putting them in an' unfair'. posit iori, was ' i£M discussed.' 7Jt "was - 'decided: to 'recommehd , that^the;*cohstituti<m; : : ;bf'' 'the; : appeal >;i'tJ-J.-i;''; Jthe-Magris- ;i : : • tratci of districts; where, -appeals Vocciir ; --; vbe: the chairman;-: and that the'; Minister ; :i of his i / decision in . reference ,to - their appeals. : •An .instance was. quoted'where a member ~ iS : ¥K: : wfe''Suspende:d ) ','ahdvultjm a tely: dismissed; ; -. ' dhwDecember 22;: . Six'. weeks after his' . g|j}^S!6us^hsion;?Ms;;appeal:: r ,waS; :teara, : Saiid. ', the oh . February ;; 16, ' :;;-.:::-.;.'practicaHy--.two; month's .''afteri .the/hearing .: - the; appeal.;:V:The;Ministet; gavo; effect ■[ but,';in;'additibnVto;;being;:fined ' 20? ; ;ldst: : in , ' -' MIVEES AND FIREMEN. SOCIAL GATHERING 5 .Wellington branch of. the New Zea-|^^:s^'lahdi^Enpne^iTCrs';-:-firemen's' Assbcia.tion - of '-New Zealand, V. . held' their first 'annual- smoke concert in ' • - -the Foresters' Hall,. Lambton Quay, .on- : v Saturday evening. .The chair,iwas ; occu- • ;.'.. \ pied -l)y 31r. J.-Foster, chairman of the -. 5 of;the-, association^. Letters 1 '-for -nonattendahce '- were .'-received from the Hon J. A. Millar, Messrs. A. L Herdman, E.~ A. Wright, I'. M. B risher, and G. W. Russell, and Mr. A. L. Beattie. ' ' i. - '.. .V .'-." 111 -. W. J. Hopkirk,; secretary of tho : .tpast; ; .of,','the p'c>i^C^:BSM^ ! iation )^ ■,[ remarked/ upqn Vtheiwdiffi'c'ulty', f135- : S-: Di (' ie®tting.:; a- ; ;'larg'ogathering: of.' : ."lo'qo / one time, owing to the pfitheji^en/-''.Tis:association::had Rf'l®sbeeni formed: for" :ohly;;':eightee'nfmojiths,' Jut .'during • the .last? year., great ; sti-ides- . had, -been made. Ten : months , ago : tho ; '.membership was 30, and now. it' stood |Ssg,..^; : Qo;r;;Eight months, ago there was only ( '-V-:'; ;:;-;ono snb-branch—Nelson— no)v there" were ftt'Pictpn-;and .Gisborne; associatioh'!;had, aecurCd'i 'n<>'. official -iec(wiiti(fc a's yet, but'it had still gone '■{■■■ ahead. ._A great ideal, was. made of this ; : : :. recognition, but ; the ' association; could - grievances;.!to\ >the'iGoverhment V®: the heads of. the' Department, and :-v: '.' •'?!? sare jotting recognition., . Until -; : there wos oniy one branch of tile 'service fei'' '* • there ..coulji; never: be :the best' y iresults. .That -was i .ivhy.. the: association r : • hard for recognition. ..' " ; "r. Cameron; ,;m'preparing the :toait' i s' : vS £ the. Amalgamated - Society of Railway Servants, expressed -regret that i, ;... oihcials were not present, as they wished . : - f j» ; haT6 m° S 0 "* 1 . "Pinion of.. the high ' /Pincers. The association: had - grievances,' |too.many/.to^numerate,;and. they, wanted t, I top of the treo to have->this done 'They ' ; i.wtitM-.'to,'>or/;fdr» ; '.mdro ' th4tt';.HHey te?K^;ftn o nsnt get.J.Vlh: his thirty |, v "years experience ho had seen' the hardV railiv-ay. -.nxen.-: have ;to - contend !K:;rt?;-> I 'W^ : and:hex^^ pJCo'-i jterag-,themselves;by jbining- r ;tdgether-;as .3-Aremen, drivers;, - and ■""cleaners;-. If •'■.•they. > ,- . -put their grievances. through, the proper %Usys. ;get :;redreM;There ? s'.. few dllhculbes at 'but-'i they i . ' . looked forward .'to, ' better C ti'mes-moro p>S'fe: Money in tho ,firet; place. -and; let' it come 6qon, : ;as;;,lt; was' urgently needed.' If' the jjK;«association , f was to p prosperjf jojn ; it. The.:raea', must'/band to-1 for. thevcoramon' good;' ■ , H . Bndgman gave a word of praise ttMfy JSy l ?? -.cleaners, .-a; body.:'6f .men of whom heard little, whom - voto.-: double' their present ayfbo .condition; iihder:.which ;thev: (worked.were known. Some of the engines I; :" -;'i£- 01 1 — -'Cleaned< m : a':.reasbnable i'time, . ; but there were'others running about the i ..- .-country day and night, which could not Iv'ithstandf, . .mg.that the-cleaners, did their utmost. KSa^-^Mrvsp^er'stated/tha forking" : s hort-hknded c- ;of late, and expressed the hope that more' t- • ; i!! ''T 1 ? i l ® : a PPointed: before long; and [y •'. 'X'°dohe 6 work to bo done as it should ! to ?, st list » and; various mu--evraingf U P-very successful