RAILWAY LOCO. MEN
Sir,—Will you kindly allow me a small place ,in your columns to reply to. "A • Fair Thing." lie says these men ooulct easily bo replaced Supposing the whole of the locomotive servico next week were to givo a, fortnight's notice, instead of striking, will he explain how they ara to be replaced He surely would not have the audacity to say that tha man who repairs the engine and other members of the service could take their place. I pity the poor pussengers, who had to ride behind tlieni. "Fair Thing" is on utter stranger to tho truth when lie talks of the qualifications of an engineer. A lioy juiiijS the service as a. cleaner, and he puts in about .three years, mostly night work, and very trying to "lis health, working in sttcn a smoky atmosphere. lie eventually gets out firing, "Fair Thing" says for a year or two. The fact is a iireman puts in six or seven years at the least in that capacity, and it is very often ten or twelve years Jiefore he gets his appointment driving! and it takes him another six years to rise to the position of a first-grade engineer at the princely wage of IDs. 6d. a day. lie has to pass three examinations. and must possess a thorough knowledg of every type of engine in use, of which there are many. ' They are classed from A to X. while many of them have an affix, such as Aa, Ab, Wd, Wg, etc. He must know what to do ;in case of a breakdown on any of these engines, to say nothing of having to swallow tho rule-book in connection with regulations jind signals. If the public really knew Vie trying conditions under which tho loco, men work the.v would intervene, and demand that the Minister give them justice. nml so prevent an industrial upheaval. which is sure to follow if their requests are much longer delayed. I have no wish to cast reflections on tho trade, to which "Fair Thing" evidently belongs, but he is certainly 110 credit to it. llis letter is misleading and contrary to facts. The action of a man not signing his name, and making an unwarranted- Attack 011 a Joyal body of men who ara fighting for justice is most contemptible.—l am, etc., . W. E. DONALD. Whenuakura, Patea.
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Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 175, 19 April 1919, Page 8
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396RAILWAY LOCO. MEN Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 175, 19 April 1919, Page 8
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