RAILWAY APPEAL BOARD

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 154, 25 March 1939, Page 13

RAILWAY APPEAL BOARD

Resignation Of Mr. J. S. Roscoe

APPROVED BY R. 0.1. IN NORTH CANTERBURY Dominion Special Service. CHRISTCHURCH, March 24. The resignation of Mr. J. S. Roscoe from the Government Railway Appeal Board as the representative of Division 1 of the railway service was unanimously approved hist night by a general meeting of members of the North Canterbury branch of the New Zealand Railway Officers’ Institute. The meeting also decided to request the executive of the institute to make immediate representations to the Minister of Bailways. Mr. Sullivan, for the holding of au inquiry into all alleged causes of dissatisfaction with staff control and administration. In an address to the meeting Mr. Roscoe said: — “Root Causes of Trouble.” “You are all only too well aware of the reasons prompting my action in resigning from the appeal board. Our branch chairman tells me that it is my duty to tell you why I took such drastic action. In the first place I do not think that our administrative officers are solely to blame. Any others in the same place, under the same law, would probably do as they have done. The matter lies deeper than mere administration. “The source of most of our troubles today is in the 1927 and 1928 amendments to the Railways Act. We must press for a means of getting to the root causes of the trouble —I suggest an expert committee with the powers of a Royal Commission to inquire into grievances and report to the Government on amendments necessary to the Railways Act. “During the last year 1 have been in contact with our .fellow-officers throughout New Zealand, and the serious effects upon our service of the dissatisfaction expressed have impelled me to take this step.” Mr. Roseoe then discussed the reason given in his notice of resignation from the Appeal Board. Vote of Confidence. i At the conclusion of the meeting, the following resolutions were carried unanimously by acclamation:— (1) “That Mr. J. S. Roscoe’s action in resigning his position of Division 1 representative on the Appeal;Board at this juncture is approved. (2) “This branch lias full confidence in Mr. Roscoe as Division 1 representative, and calls upon him to accept nomination for re-election.

(3) “Further, this branch, meeting directs that the executive committee be requested to make immediate representation to the Minister of Railways asking for the appointment of a committee with the powers of a Royal Commission to inquire into all alleged causes of dissatisfaction with the present staff control and the administration; the committee to report after investigation to the Government with a view to amending the Government Railways Act.”