RAILWAY GRIEVANCES.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1209, 18 August 1911, Page 7

RAILWAY GRIEVANCES.

MANAGERS AND MEN CONFER. BOTH SIDES FIRM. London, August 10. Mr. Sydney Buxton, President of the Board of Trade, conferred this morning with the railway managers and in tho afternoon with the railway men's representatives. , The latter complain of the slowness of the Conciliation Board procedure, enabling tho companies to postpone tho settlement of grievances. The crux of the position is the companies' recognition of the unions. This would enable tho men to be represented on the board by cleverer representatives from headquarters than local shunters and porters. It was contended that the latter wore intimidated and deterred from pressing for good terms lest t'hey were victimised by their employers. Tho North-Eastern Kailway Company alone recognises tho handicap, and allows union officials to servo on tho board. Tho employers' attitude towards Labour, it was added, had caused dissatisfaction through economies of management. Owing to new legal obligations, soft jobs were eliminated, and tho men were worked more intensively though their hours were reduccd. Tho Central Committee demands the abolition of tho Conciliation Board, a fifty-four hour week, recognition of .the unions, and an advance of 2s. a week in all grades. Precautions by the Companies. Interviewed after tho conference, the employers wore found to be firm. They consider their direct meeting the men a violation of the existing agreement regarding conciliation boards, which tho Government had imposed. It is understood that the companies, foreseeing trouble, adopted precautions months ago, providing for skeleton services in the event of a strike. Sir Guy liranet, general manager of the Midland liaihvay, after to-day's conference, announced on behalf of the railway managers, that the Government having promised the companies ample protection, they would continue their services. Tho directors were prepared, even in the event of a general railway strike, to give an effective, though a restricted, service. ' Traffic Stops' at Manchester. Railway passenger and goods traffic at Manchester has been stopped. Two battalions of infantry and a regiment of cavalry are in readiness, in (he event of trouble, to proceed to Manchester. The Great Western Railway Company's goods men at Birmingham will await developments, and have resumed work. Delivery of Mails. Mr. Herbert Samuel, Postmaster-Gen-eral, stated in tho llouso of Commons that tho Government had recently obtained from tho Central Strike Committee iu London facilities for the delivery of mails. Similar measures at Liverpool had assured tho continuity of the mail-cart service. '