RAILWAY ENQUIRY.

Hokitika Guardian, 29 March 1924, Page 3

RAILWAY ENQUIRY.

[by TELEGRAPH —PER PRESS ASSOCIATION.] WELLINGTON. March 28. A giaph which was presented to the Wages Board in support of the Railway Departments’ ease against- an increase in wages for railwaymen was sharply attacked by the A.S.R.S. representatives, who contended that the chart bore out the railwnymon’s own claim for improved pay. The Departinc'atal representatives denied this, and also tile allegation that the evidence submitted by the Department was incorrect id misleading. .Mr Connelly averred that the Department had gone one too' many, and bad put in the possession of the Board a chart which disclosed the fact that they were prepared to keep the railwaymen 7s 3d per week below the cost of living as defined by themselves, They bad admitted by the graph that the men should tie getting £4 7s Id per week, ami that should he the basis of the present negotiations. The graph showed clearly that if the men were working 48 hours per week, they would be getting a living wage, but that as they were working 44 hours per "eek thev must remain below a living wage.

Air Jones (Chief Engineer of the Railway Department) said that the graph was based upon an equivalent amount of work given in 1914, and at the present time. The position to-day was that no transport service could get along on 1 1 hours per week. Mr Sterling, for the Department said that the figures shown were percentage increases above what the men were receiving in 1914. Obviously, to obtain the percentage increase on that basis one must reduce all the factors to a common level. It was of no use comparing what a man would receive if he worked 44 hours per week m 1924 with what lie got in 1914 under a 48 hour week. Both must be reduced to a common denomination. The Department offered an increase in hours to enable the men to make more pay.