RAILWAY MANAGEMENT AND FAIR PLAY.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1696, 12 March 1913, Page 5

RAILWAY MANAGEMENT AND FAIR PLAY.

Sir,—Something liko sixtj' iippeals lmvo been lodged in connection witn the lust 1)3 (classification list), 1912. -All- the goods loremeii, coaching foremen, and ticlcet inspectors were placed ill''the ninth grade aUove all the stationmasters and. clerks in the tenth grade, whereas in the 1911 D 3 the positions were reversed. Prior to April, 1912, a member was reduced from the position of stationmaster. to that of foreman. This proceeding clearly shows that the Department recognised that the foreman's position was inferior in every, respect to .that .of,stationmaster and clerk,'and yet what do we find? Intlio classification list of 1912 all foremen and ticket inspectors are placed over the .jieacls. of scores : of stationmasters and clerks, nearly all of whom are capable of filling these positions. - Tho Railway.. Act distinctly says that the Department shall hear all appeals within three months from the date the notice of appeal is and yet,the management ignore this Act, so far as it concerns them, as though it was so much waste-paper. . It is peculiar that if the appeal is not lodged by the member concerned, by the dato prescribed by the Act'the. Department informs him that it cannot beheard. .Before ' tho Parliamentary Committee, which was appointed to hear the railway petition, Mr. IFVilly time and again said tho Department gives the men,a fair deal in every case, and is only, too •see that every ease is dealt with on its merits.

Now, Mr. Editor, . my . notice 1 ' was handed in in tho second week in November, 1912, and yet my appeal has not been heard, and the other members are in tho same box., , \ , I presume the management went into tho merits Tind demerits of each man's case beforo superseding him, therefore they should not have any occasion to delay the proceedings, as they should have had the particulars of each man's case before them when they drew up the classification list, somewhere about March, 1912.

AVo recognise the Minister is going to do a fair tiling by the First Division, as lie lias shown recently he is in dead earnest by sweeping away the vile, "tags," a system which the head office has clung to in spite of every, protest that has been lodged. Judging by the Weeping and gnashing of teeth which is going on in the head oflicc, the parting must have been hard indeed, and we quite realise that the 'Minister need not look for any assistance from that quarter..

• Another matter which iB causing a t>mentions amount of dissatisfaction is the way the holiday leave is allowed to get behind. In every twelve years each member forfeits one year's leave, so that every member in the service may get a fair share of summer and winter weather, iocs the Department carry out its part of the contract? Never! If it can possibly dodge or cheat it seems to go out of its way to. do so. The annual leave at the present, time is seven months' behind, and very little effort is being made to bring it up to date. It is useless, to, represent these things in the proper way, so I crave you to give mo space in your valuable paper. . I am sure that when tho Minister sees this letter ho will deal with it as promptly and fairly as ho has with other matters which concern tho welfare of tho railwav servants.—l am, etc., J DIVISION ONE.