The Globe. MONDAY JANUARY 21, 1878.

Globe, Volume IX, Issue 1211, 21 January 1878, Page 2

The Globe. MONDAY JANUARY 21, 1878.

The railway employees are to be cougratulated upon the moderation and clearness ; which characterised the statement of their grievances to the public. That a widespread dissatisfaction exists in the railway department of the public service is plainly to be seen. Into what has led to this dissatisfaction it is not our province now to enquire, but we would point out that the efficient carrying on of a public department cannot but be most seriously impaired by its existence. The two points upon which the employees found their complaints are. that they are required to do extra work over hours without any compensation; and also that they are liable to perform Sunday labour. As regards the former, of course there can l e no doubt that it is unfair to expect men to work over hours continually without remuneration. But when, as in the case of the railway employees, it is made a question of doing the work required or leaving the service, then this unfairness is mingled with a good deal of injustice. The same argument which has been used with regard to Sunday work holds good in respect to this. If the employers of labour in other trades find that the railway authorities can got their men to work overtime without pay they might put it to those ™ their emp|oy to do the sautf, WJjy eboqjd tjjose ejjjployetJ ojj

the railway work over hours for nothing when carpenters, &c., are not required to do so ? If any of the latter are required to work over their regular hours of labour, they receive pay for it or they do not work. Therefore, the railway employees have a right, to claim to he placed upon the same footing. And this is all they want. They come before the public as the only means of redress left them, because they wore unable in any other way to obtain it. Their ease was plainly stated on Thursday evening, and has not been contradicted. Of the Sunday question wo have already spoken more than once. As put by one of the speakers, it was a very discreditable course for any Government to pursue, and we only hope that the public feeling on the matter will be so strong as to induce the re-consideration of the obnoxious provision. That Sunday labour should not be allowed, except in cases of extreme and unavoidable necessity, is, we think, a proposition which few will dispute. That any Government of a colony, in which free institutions have attained to such a growth as here, should use pressure to compel any body of men to give up their one day of rest, seems to us to be a decidedly retrograde step. So much' or the two points which form the gravamen of the complaints of the railway employees. Now comes the question, how is the cause of the discontent, which is so plainly discernible, to be ascertained ? Mr, Stevens, in speaking on Thursday evening supplies, wo think, the answer to this query. He bears his testimony, as a public man, to the fact that very widespread discontent does exist in the railway department, as evidenced by the complaints received by him from nearly every department of the service. Surely this shows that there must bo something radically wrong in the administration of this important public department. This being so, it is the duty of the Government at once to make inquiries, with a view to ascertain the real state of the case. To this end a Royal Commission should be appointed, with power to take evidence and to report as to the • remedy which, in their opinion, should be adopted to prevent the recurrence of such discontent in future. As Mr. Stevens pointed out, the whole community are interested in this matter. The railways are fast becoming the most important public department in the colony. and therefore any matter affecting so seriously as this does their administration. becomes one of grave public import. Under these circumstances if becomes a matter of necessity that an impartial and rigid enquiry should be made into the manner in which the management of the railways is carried on so that if any evils exist they may at once be remedied. No better method it appears to ns could be devised to obtain this end than the appointment of a Commission. From such a Commission, whilst numbering gentlemen who have some experience in matters connected with railways, the Government officials actually engaged in administering railway matters should bo excluded. Their evidence of course woidd be valuable, but as they would be to a certain extent in the position of having their policy upon its trial, it would be manifestly unfair to allow them to bo judges on their own conduct. Wo hope the Government will see their way to grant the Commission as asked for. The matter has now gone too far to bo settled by mere departmental interference —that day has gone bye. An appeal has been made to the public, and certain specific causes alleged for the discontent which undoubtedly pervades every branch of the railway department. It now remains for the Government to search out the truth of these allegations and the most effectual way of doing so is by a Commission. Anything short of this will bo regarded with suspicion by the public, and will bo looked upon as an evasion of what is the plain duty of the Government in this matter.