CASUAL RAILWAY HANDS

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2283, 17 October 1914, Page 8

CASUAL RAILWAY HANDS

THE MINISTER AND MR. MACK,

A letter from Mr. M. J. Mack ; seoretary of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants, was published in The Dominion yesterday, making bomplaint against the Minister of Railways for bis failure to allow certain casual hands in the railway service to enjoy the benefits of permanent®, and' also for his refusal to grant an increase in pay to them. The Tetter was brought under the notice of tho Hon. W. Hi Herries yesterday by a Dominion reporter. "Yes, I have 6een Mr. Mack's letter,", said.Mr. Hemes, "and.'l am rather' surprised at it. Mr. Mabk has evidently not read tho petitions of the casual hands which were recently, reported on by tho Railways Committee. These, petitions referred entirely to privileges granted to members of the railway service which the casual hands of over ten years' service desired to participate ini. Those petitions and the report of the committee will have my .careful,atten; tion. Nothing was said about increases of wages at all. With regard to the increase of wages to casuals, I may 6ay that tho executive of the A.S.R.S. waited on me at tho beginning of the session, and among other matters brought before me the question of an increase of wages to casual hands. After consultation with the head office, I informed the executive that I could not consider the inorcase at the present time: Subsequently when the war broke out the president and secretary of the A.S.R.S. waited on me and told me that while the financial stringency due to the -war was on, they would not press for any ini creases of wages, for any of their members, and the same attitude was adopted, I understood, by the other societies. I considered this a handsome offer, and * I accepted it ae such. I am therefore surprised at Mr. Mack again raising the question in 'the face of his previous offer."-