THE RAILWAYS

Hokitika Guardian, 16 May 1921, Page 3

THE RAILWAYS

EMPLOYMENT OF “CASUALS.”

WELLINGTON, MSy lSt.

With reference to recent complaints that returned soldiers, married men, employed as “casuals” were being dismissed by the Railway Department to make room for immigrants, the Hon. D. H. Guthrie, Acting-Minister of Railways, stated to-day that those complaints had been very exhaustively looked into by the. Department, which had found in a number of cases that the position had been greatly exaggerated. As to the complaint by the Christchurch Returned Soldiers’ Association that a larg<s number of returned soldiers employed as casual labourers in the Christchurch goods shed were being discarded and the service of immigrants retained, the Minister stated that the men who were employed in the Christchurch goods shed were engaged on an hourly basis, and continuity of , employment depended entirely on requirements for the time being. During the war period the Department released some thousands of its employees for j war service. On the cessation of hos- I tilities the bulk of the railwaymen re- j turned to the Dominion and resumed their ordinary occupations in the Rail- . wav Department. The Department had also engaged over 1100 returned soldiers, and preference, wherever possible, was given to returned men. The great bulk of the casuals taken on during the war were ineligible, under the regulations, for appointment to the perTnanent staff, and it was now necessary to bring the permanent staff to normal , strength. In making such appoint- j ments, however, first consideration was j extended to men who had seen active service. During the past two, or three years the Department had made every . effort to recruit the staff within the Do- , minion, with very unsatisfactory _ _ l '°- j suits. The only alternative remaining , was to engage new arrivals, who could j comply with the requirements of the | regulations and place them in training. , A large proportion of the immigrants ( engaged werfrmen whodiad serti service ■ in "France. Due consideration was also J extended to casual hands, whose employment would he extended wherever practicable. __