RAILWAYMEN'S PAY

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 144, 13 March 1920, Page 8

RAILWAYMEN'S PAY

A REPLY TO THE MINISTER,

Mr. M. J. Mack, secretary for the 1 , 'Amalgamated Societyof Railway Servants, has made a statement in reply to Mr. Massey*s statement on behalf of tho ' Department. Mr. Mack said that •it appeared to him that , the statement of the Minister was a laboured and be- ' lated attempt to show what the Government had done for the railwaymen. '' ' "I 'say 'belated,'" stated M,r. Mack, •"because the proper place for such a ' . statement was before the .Wages Inquiry - 'Board, where it could have been roplied to. But it would appear, that tho Bailway Department did not consider it .worth while", or even necessary; and wai satisfied to leave the matter in tho ■■•hands of the Judge. There is, however (added Mr. Mack), another .side, to ■ the Minister's statement which will be dealt .with later. In the meantime,, the Minister of Railways might tell the public if the railwaymen s wages have been increaed commensurately with tho rise in the cost of living-since, the outbreak of the war. and not merely since March, 1919, which-is-the period' taken into consideration by Mr. Justice Stringer in making his report". As an illustration, take the position of a first-grade guard.' 'At the outbreak of the war he was receiving ' lis. Gd. per day, or - .£3 '9s. a week. Mr. Justice Stringer, in his»report, says that the purchasing priwer of ilie sovereign must be maintained. Now,

'everyone knows that tho purchasing i power' of'Hh'e sovereign to-day in com- - parison pre-war "times is not more than 10s. Consequently, ft man earning «£3 9s. before the war should now be .getting 3s. Gd.. whereas he actually. •V receives .£4 75.-t.nly, being a loss of 16s. .Gd.' a. week as compared with pre-war conditions. Even with the'-: proposed Rhi)li : n<r bonus, he will still be left with a- debit balance of 10s*. fid. per :we»k. So far as 'privileges' are concerned, the ■Minister's statement is more imaginarv than real, and I am prepared, on behalf of the men. to accept in cash for each man, the Prime : Minister's estimate of their value, that .is .£2.1 per annum, and forpn the runcli-vaunted nrivileges, . ineluding the-' trip to Rotorua.. The Miniis'tev says the whole matter of waefjs and. conditions was left entirely in the hands of the Jiidw'. The, 'Jud»e says ■: he was' restricted by "'the order of .refer-

ence. The men 6nv that loyal servir« / and peaceful negotiations are regarded by those in authority as a sign of "weakness, and some othe" action is therefore necessary. Hence all the trouble."

.THREAT. 03? GO-SLOW.

By Telegraph—.Association. ■ _ ' Auckland,' March 12. /.i meeting of .railwaymen at the New...luarket workshops decided not to'tccept Mr. Justice Stringer's report, and resolved, that the executive should make jfnother effort to_obtain an' increase in '. wages, failing which a go : slow policy b# 'enforced on members of the societies known an the A.S.R.S., the E.P.C.A., . and the R. 0.1.