RAILWAY MEN'S PAY

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 92, 13 January 1920, Page 7

RAILWAY MEN'S PAY

INQUIRY BOAIiD MEETS. ' Tlifi Xow Zealand Railway Servants.' Inquiry Hoard met yesterday to determine such preliminary questions as that of procedure for the business sittings to bo held almost immediately. This hoard was set no in accordance with n recommendation of the House Railways Com- ■ mittee. ivhicli was adopted by the Minister. and the object of 'it was to provide some more satisfactory method of fixing the wages and conditions of railway employees than that which has obtained hitherto. Something very like an Arbitration Court has been set up to deal with disputes in the service. The chairman of the board is the President of thft Arbitration Court, Mr. Justice Strinser. and sitting with him there will 1)3 two advisory assessors, one representing the Department, and one representing the railway society concerned. These assessors will not, as do the assessors in tint Arbitration Court, deliberate with His Honour in the compilation of the report to bo made to the Government. Possibly His Honour may prefer to consult with the assessors, but the report •from the board will be the report of the chairman nnlv." Mr H. ,W. Mou'att is representing the Department. Mr. George Matthewson the First Division of the service (the clerical'branch). Mr. M. J. Mack the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants '•(who comprise all the members of the . Second' Division except tha locomotive men), and Mr. Robert Carroll the En-gine-drivers', Firemen's, and Cleaners' Association. Mr. J.. H. Salmon, associate to Mr. Justice Stringer, will be secretary to ths board, and the shorthand writer will lw Mr. H.'E. Lcgrove. At thn meeting held yesterday it was , arranged that the first society to be heard should be the A.S.R.S., and to .hear their case tho hoard will meet on Monday next The board {or this case will consist of Mr. Justicc Stringer (chairman). Mr. Mouatt (representing the Department), and Mr. if. J. Mack (representing the society). ' . The board is instructed to inquire as to wages, hours, of work, and overtime rates, lioth for day and night work, in tho service. This means that it has power to lake into consideration all the matters commonly raised before the Arbitration Court..