RAGGING OR ACCIDENT?

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1190, 27 July 1911, Page 4

RAGGING OR ACCIDENT?

A YOUTH INJURED. AT NEWMARKET WORKSHOPS. (By Telegraph.-SDCcial Correspondent.! Auckland, July 26. During last session of Parliament it was more than once asked by Auckland members Chat the Minister for Railways should have inquiry mado into the prevalence of "ragging" at the workshops and cleaning sheds at Newmarket and Auckland. Casta were, cited in which the ill-treatment of youths just entering the' servjee had taken place, and the Hon: J. A. Millar promised to have full and searching inquiry mndo. Subsequently the Minister reported that "ragging" was not allowed, and that investigation proved that no cases of rowdyism had been known to exist. Since then nothing further has been said about tho matter. Yesterday afternoon a youth named Smith was admitted to the Auckland Hospital suffering from tho effect of a blow on the forehead, which necessitated six stitches being put in. This incident again raised the "ragging" question, ns it wuh admitted that tho blow had been caused by a bar of iron weighing five or six pounds thrown at Smith at the Newmarket workshops, in the foreman's absence. Pending a Departmental inquiry, no details were obtainable this morning, beyond the fact that during a waste-firing skirmish tho iron bar was thrown and struck Smith on the forehead.

The injured man, seen by a reporter this morning, said he hart boon instructed uol to say anything neiidiiig the inquiry, and accordingly could give no particulars of what had happened. On inquiry> being made in non-official quarters, it. was .stated that "ranging" does not exist to tho same- extent that it used to do. During the Inst twelve months a very close watch has been maintained in all denartments, with the result that tho behaviour is much bettor than it used to be- Until quite recently it was a common enough filing to christen n new arrival at the sheds' hy drenching hi mto the skin with a hose. To make red-hot the iroiu? (hat a new chum would innocently hnndlo was another "trick," while tho disrobing of a youth and rubbing down with dirtr waste was ft common enough form of initiation. Compelling a novice to sing comic songs while he. was pelted with scraps cf wa-ste was another means of "i'a»giim," but. according to both official and unofficial statements, this stato 'cf things no longer obtains, and in both workshops and' cleaning sheds behaviour is now orderly, yesterday's affair at New-, market being regarded as not very serious. Mr. M'Carthv. offieer-in-cliargc of, tho Newmarket workshops, said that pending further inquiry into the incident as a result of which Smith was injured, no could make no statement. The nossibilitv of "ragging" in the workshops however, he absolutely denied. Jiacli department is under the direct supervision of a foreman, who has orders to put down tho slightest, atfemnt at horseplay, and the strictest discipline prevails throughout the workshops. The 3(X) men r employed at Newmarket, added Mr. M'Ca.rlhv, were splendid workmen, and, as a tody, thoroughly well behaved. Any suggestion of "ragging" was to bo deprecated, and in this particular case ho believed it. would transpire to be more an acoident than anything else. At the cleaning sheds at the Auckland Railway Station it. was also learned' that there was no official knowledge of any "ragging" cases having taken place. Twelve months or so ago there had been some cases of rowdy behaviour, lights having been shut off while members of the night staff indulged in a certain amount of sky-larking; but. tho supervision is now so constant and the penalty for misdemeanour so great that tho behaviour of all concerned was exemplary in the extreme.