RAILWAY APPEAL BOARD.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1085, 25 March 1911, Page 5

RAILWAY APPEAL BOARD.

A-DTJKEDIN CASE. " ' (By, Telegraph.—Press Association.) Dunedln, March 24. The Railway Appeal Board sat today to hear an appeal, by Peter Ireland, a carpenter employed 'at the Hillside workshops,', against being disrated from first to second grade. , Mr. W. It. Haseltlen, S.M., presided, with him being associated. Messrs. John Gray (first divisjon), and ' J:' H'. Jones (second division). Mr. Davidson appeared for tho Department, and Mr. Hampton for appellant. ' Mr. Davidson said in 1900 appellant was engaged as a casual carpenter, and in 1903 he was put on permanently, but subsequently was not recommended as being fit for the grade occupied. After trial and warnings on several occasions, and reports b&ing still unfavourable, he was reduced from first- to second grade. 'Evidence was given by S. P. Evans '.(formerly manager rat Hillside), E. L. .W. Haskins (the present manager), H. i'F. Holder (foreman carpenter), D. . M'Killop (foreman at Invercargill),- G. ; Johnson (leading carpenter 'now retiried), E. Jenkins, and It. W. Turner i (leadine carpenters, Hillside), also E. A. Edwardsi (first-grade carpenter), and T. Miller (first-grade carpenter). The l evidence of _ all these and other witnesses was in the direction of showing that Ireland was slow and' intractable, instances of slowness being given. ' Mr. Hampton, for the appellant, complajned that tho reports on Ireland had been sent to the General Manager behind his back. i Appellant gave evidence detailing coach-building firms he worked with. In hij opinion, _one man was pitted against another in wagon building. H.' White (building contractor) said Ireland was a very fair workman, and up to the average of tho whole shop, and equal to any member getting firstgrade pay. . Ho knew to his sorrow that wagon men were pitted against each other. . There was such a thing as racing. The chairman here interposed, and said the inquiry was not for tho purpose of finding out whether racing was done in the shop. Mr. G. Thomson (retired railway servant) said some of Ireland's work complained of' was done under Holder's ordeis. Holder reported this to the manager, and when subsequent re.'ci • ence was made to it, said he had an object, which was to reduce Ireland. 'Ho would swear to that. At .this stage Mr. .Davidson asked .for an adjournment to rebut this evidence. The board adjourned till to-monw.