RAILWAY SERVANTS' DEMANDS

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 179, 24 April 1920, Page 8

RAILWAY SERVANTS' DEMANDS

—■——" f STATEMENT BY PRIME MINISTER EXPLAINING GOVERNMENT'S REPLY V ' : ';By Telegraph—Presß Association. . Auckland, April 23. The Prime Minister, explaining the Government's offor to the railwaymen; ,says; "By way of _ explanation with re- ; ganj. to the official letter forwarded from -the Government to the; railway • societies, I may point out that wo-will . commence with a basic wage for niarriod/inen, not in'any.'wav incapacitated, ■' of £187 .lCs. per annum, that is 12s. a V day! -To.this has to be added jiayumt at'the rate of ,£ls per annum for mar- ; ried men in terms of Mr..'Justice Stringer's recommendation. To this the Government ,has added _ a payment of i£7 10s. per annum for single men; both taking effect from January 1 last. The proposal now .is that; Mr. Justice Stringer's • recommendation should con-tinue-until June 1 instead of being reviewed-, again in September, as recommended by him. ■ "In making his recommendation," said Mr. Massey, "Mr. Justice Stringer took into consideration the increase in tho cost of living up to the dato on which the board commenced its sittings. Although his Teport was dated February 20, ho recommended that it should take effect from January 1, All railwaymeri have. had payments made as from this . : lntter'date. The board which the Government proposes to set up will take into consideration the increasing cost of living from'-the beginning of. this year till June, and will readjust the honus -,■;. accordingly by whatgiei. the cost of liv-ing".-has incriased during tTiat period, and the-men will get the benefit of it. . "The review of the cost of living and . the consequent readjustment of .bonus is ' intended to take place every six months. : . It is desirable that I should point out , that since March', 1914, married men In - '. the railway service have received by way of bonus, to compensate : for the in- ; creased cost of living, four payments'. . of Is. a day, and single men had received . payments for the same purpose. ' - "I have already made it (Perfectly clear that the question of conditions of wotlc will be considered; but while the ,'Government has no serious objection to ■ this being dealt with by the suggested tribunal, we think it better that such matters should be considered as between the representatives of the men and tho General Manager. The Government is . anxious to do what is right behyeen the State and those in its employ, and will . eontinuo to act up to this principle."