OUR "LOCO." MEN.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1109, 24 April 1911, Page 5

OUR "LOCO." MEN.

TOLD BY A FIREMAN. LONG HOURS AND TRYING WORK. RATHER VIVID STORY. "If a young fellow wants a decent start in life, then the New Zealand loco , Ecrvice is no place for him," remarked an ex-fireman to a re-, presontative of Tnr. Dominion tho other day, during a general discussion on certain conditions of labour which, it was stated, at present exist in the locomotive branch of tho Railway Department. "I got out," ho continued, "because I couldn't stand it any longer, and for tho fiake of those I've left behind me, I'm quite, willing to open the eyes of tho public to somo of tho conditions which the cleaners and firemen have to put up '' with. Tho life was breaking mo up, and now I'm going on a farm." Cleaning the Engines. The speaker then proceeded to touch upon certain aspects of "loco"' work, which, he stated, were regarded with growing dissatisfaction by the men. "j.. started as a cleaner fiix years ago, at Is.; Gd. a night—lo p.m. till I) a.m. Thai; is. uipht lwui's. But the Department may put you on at all hours. Then extra time has to be worked 'getting ready. , and 'putting away , the engines. Wo don t got paid tor that. There is no guarantee of promotion—l know a man who haa been a cleaner for seven years. I, was living at Bs. Gd. a day when I left, with! absolutely no prospects of promotion. You can't get married on that, can you?" Tho reporler .said that he would not care to try it, in theso expensive times. "Is there any 'ragging* in the sheds nowaday??" he asked. "Xot now, so far as I know," was the reply. "There used to be. I remember , when I started I had to give ouo chap a hiding beforo I could get any peace. We were good friends afterwards," ho added. Firing in the Tunnels. Passing on to tho next phase of his career in tho loco' service, the speaker renmrked that the lot of a fireman on tho New Zealand Railways was anything but a bed of rotes. "Vou hear a lot about delays ou the line," he said, "but you don't hear very much about the causes, except clips, wash-outs, greasy rails, and other things that you can t-eo for yourself. The big trouble is tho coal.' The Department uses coal which may bo all right for other things, but it is not tho boit for steaming ou. You can't rum to time if you can't get tho steam. 'When , ' we run late we havo to make out a report • to show tho cause o£ the delay, and if, the report isn't satisfactory, up" comes a , fine. "Another thing"—he continued—"the smoko from tho coal used is stilling iui the tunnels, and many a time I've won-' dered whether I'd last out ono of these ; long tunnels on tho up-grade. I was at' Cross Creek for ten months, and know something about it. The worst engine to;, firo in is tho 'E'—ask any fireman what he thinks of the 'E , engine. She cost , .£15,000, locallv built,, and has been four, times to the shops for repairs in tho last! two years. Sho is strongly built, and can, haul a good .load, but the trouble with ; her is that she gets too hot. On the other engines you get a chaiiee to get cool! after you get out of a tunnel, but on.' 'E' you're always hot, and what witlii firing with the coal used and crawling through an up-grade tunnel—well, one time I absolutely collapsed after wo got, throuch." The Long, Long Day. Tho speaker had something to pay. tho hours of labour. "1 know one' in.an,", ho said, "who had to go ,on, at half'p'ast one, in tho afternoon aivtl 'finished up at 8 o'clock next morning—he would get 225. for that lot. It's quite a common thing lor us to work 13 and H hours a day. In five weeks I've only had- four nights off. Then there is the grievance about srandm.t time. The Department only pays three hours.' standing ■ time, if wo don't work eight—the work- , ing day is reckoned on the running time. Take a case like this: A special is sent out to Paekakariki at 7.15 p.m. to connect with a goods arriving any time from 2.15: a.m. till 3 or i a.m. Wo get to Paekakariki, say, at 10.15 p.m., and hang about (ill the goods comes in—you see the position? Again, wo are sent out on a race special, arriving at Upper Hiitt at noon, and are told (hat we won't be required: till G p.m. AVe arc not supposed to leave, the- engine, and so must kick about all! that time doing nothing. This is a very, f:oro point with us. Fellows who are , thinking of going into the locomotive branch don't know what they've got in , front of them," ho concluded,