THE RAILWAY LADDER.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1425, 27 April 1912, Page 3

THE RAILWAY LADDER.

-» AN AWKWARD CLIMB, PROBLEMS OF CLASSIFICATION. Among railroad men an ever-fruitful topic ol discussion is the classilicatiou sclieine, and the recent Railway Appeal Board cases served to rai.>e new points lor discussion. After delivering judgment on Thursday in the C heeseman iiplieal case, Dr. A. : \V. M'Arthur, 5.. U., chairman of the North Island Railway Appeal Board, engaged in a brief disputation with Mr. J. Davidson (Railway Department's representative), on "the' general principle oi selection for promotion. Chooseman had been engaged upon the installation of the interlocking system on the railways, admittedly important work, but had been, it was claimed, superseded in promotion by two others. Tho chairman's contention was that it should not bp ogainst a man' because ho had been

- given a certain class of work, and in > consequence, be refused ilromotiou to a - higher grade. Discussing tho geuc-ral question of pro- , motion by classification with a retired - railroad man, n Dominion' representative , gathered that the Cheeteman cuse s'rtick > at a fundamental weakness of the classification, and the natural corollary of that [ weakness was the creation of certain points of ineificioncy in the service, especially noted in the "Running Department"—the actual business of handling railway traffic. "Administrative men and running men shouid never have been placed in tho same class for promotion," lie said. "Tho result of this method of classilicatiou has been that men who have been lor years in the head -oineo doing administrative work have suddenly found themselves placed in charge «i a station, to run u stall', and handle traffic. He can't do itsome might, after a trial, but others ■would never do it. Running a station is a special branch of work, and should be separately classed. And it is due to the results of promoting ■ unpractical men from tho administrative branch to the actual work of handling station traffic that you hear so many complaints by the public in certain localities." One ot the Ij- . know n ofliecrs of the firs division is strongly of the opinion that there is a strong tendency to evade the spirit of the classification system. He considers that the Department is in a rather awkward position. It has some difficulty in finding tho amount of money neccssarv to pay the officers as they should lie paid, and is endeavouring to make both ends meet by bringing about what amounts to retrenchment. Ho puis it this way. The second division (comprising those servants whoso work is more in the nature of labourers' work than that of tho first division) have put up tho price of their labour. They hav? gone into line with workers' unions, and have requested more pay. The rises they have been given have cost .£OO,OOO per annum. "With this large extra amount per year to provide, the Department finds it diir.nilt to do justice to the iir.-t division. 110 clnss not agree with the idea that the first division members should suffer, as lie. says they are doing, beeausn so much extra money has to be found for the second division. He holds the opinion that the public should pay if necessary, but he does not think it necessary. He declares that there are many ways'in which the money can Ijo saved. , A leading member of tho second division looks at the matter in a slightly diifer&iit light. He says Hie Department is "hard up," and in order lo make ends moot is virtually retrenching. When a hichiv paid man vacates a position, he savs.'he'is replaced by a cheaper man. And that is put forward as the cause of nianv of tho appeals. It these decisions had gone against us," said nnother first division man, "the classification scheme would bo reduced fr a. farce. The spirit of the Act has 1-en evaded, and if tho Department is not stopped immediately the classification will become so much waste naner. I do not think the Minister will veto the rcccn' decisions of the board, and it is to be hoped for the sake of the classification that he will not."

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