The Dominion. WEDNESDAY, MAY 14, 1919. A WAY OUT WANTED

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 196, 14 May 1919, Page 6

The Dominion. WEDNESDAY, MAY 14, 1919. A WAY OUT WANTED

« After a period of somewhat widespread unrest in the railway service, good progress has been made towards the establishment of smooth working conditions, Voting by branches, at the conference held in Wellington last week, the Amalgamated Society of Kailway Servants accepted by a majority of nearly five to one the proposals advanced by the Department in regard to improved wages and working conditions. There does not seem to be any reason to doubt that an amicable understanding will be reached also by the Department and the administrative and clerical branches of the service. Unfortunately, however, a jarring note is struck in tho case of the Locomotive Engineers, Firemen, and Cleaners' Association. The public, which is very much concerned, is bound to wonder why it is that while agreement between' the Department and the bulk of its .employees seems to present no serious difficulties, similar agreement is apparently unattainable in the case of one important branch. In the circumstances it is obviously incumbent on the members of the association to state their grievances in such a manner as to make them understandablo to the public, a,nd' it can hardly be said that this was done by the deputation which waited on the Acting-Prime Minister yesterday. The issues involved are, perhaps, too technical to be fully grasped by the lay mind. Some of the detail: demands made by yesterday's deputation look by no means unreasonable. It was stated, for instance, that "the men resent any proposal which aims at lowering the wage of a man who has bec<jmo unfit to perform the highest duties, and which unfitness has been brought about by' the conditions of the man's work," It certainly docs not seem right that a man still generally fit ■■ and competent, but unfitted by ! strain of service to perform certain ) duties, should be penalised on that account. In many occupations there are seniors with a well-established ' claim 'to advancement, though they are no longer equal to some of the work they could have undertaken at I an earlier stage of their career. In { the railway service it would not be to reduce a competent en-gine-driver in .grade and pay because he was no longer equal, say, to driving a fast express. In regard, also, to the reduction of cleaners, wages there seems to be a case to answer. But tho surprising thing is that the Department and. the association have reached a deadlock over such questions, though the Department has reached a full understanding on questions presumably quite as difficult with other and more numerous sections of its employees. This being so, it can hardly bo going too far to say that the onus is on the association, of showing that it not taking up an unreasonable and irreconcilable attitude. There is no reason to suppose that the Department is attempting to treat tho members of the association on any other basis than the rest of the railway workers. The officers of the' association told Sir JAME3 Allen yesterday that more than ninety-five per cent, of its members had voted in- favour of a strike in tho event of no agreement being reached. But why should it be any more difficult for the association to reach an agreement with the Department than for the Amalgamated ' Society to do so ? The absdnce of any apparent reason for a deadlock is the aspect of the affair that must needs appeal to the public. Since the deadlock exists, however, ifc is desirable that no effort should be spared to find a way out, and in the circumstances it may be worth while to consider a suggestion put forward by the deputation yesterday, that an outside conciliator should be appointed to deal with the issues in dispute. In the exact form in which it was advanced, however, tho. proposal is obviously unreasonable and unacceptable. Mr. M'Arley said that if Me. Justice Sμ or Me. Justice Stringer were appointed to preside over a conference, the association would aqcept whatever Both sides agreed to. This obviously holds out no promise of finality, and finality is what is wanted , . Full facilities ; for discussion exist already, and have been freely used. There would ,be neither sense nor purpose in appointing an outside conciliator unless both sides agreed to accept his decision" on questions in dispute—unless, in fact, he were invested with the powers of an arbitrator. If the members of tho association wish .their proposal to be taken seriously they ought to amend it on the lines here suggested 1 . As it stands, it seems to be based on the principle of "heads I win, tails you lose." The whole thing resolves itself into an appeal to reason and common-sense. Mediation, perhaps, offers a way out, but ifc is a mere waste of time to talk about mediation under conditions which certainly would make it ineffective, i