MINISTER OF RAILWAY.

Hokitika Guardian, 21 May 1924, Page 1

MINISTER OF RAILWAY.

lIY TKI.KOUA I*ll—fllKSS ASSN., COt’YltKiH'l WELLINGTON. Alav 20. In answer this morning to a question by a Press representative, the .Minister for Railways, the Hon. G. Coates said that in consideration of tile decision of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants to conform with the requirements that it should sever its (oniieciion with the Alliance of Labor, In- had approved of the restoration of .superannuation lights, lice passe, and privileges to railway-melt. Further lie bad directed the General Alnuagcr of Railways, Air R. AY. ALA illy, to slate that in the event of the Society again conlravening the agreement ai.-y time, by affiliating with any outside organisation, he (tlie .Manage)') would no longer recognise the Society as a railway organisation

LABOR LEADER’S VIEWS. Westport, May 20.

Tin's evening at the invitation of the local brench of the A.S.R.S. Air 11. E. Holland. Leader of the Labour Party addressed a well attended meeting of the railway-men. He traced the history of tlie recent strike. One of the main factors in producing which, he said, was the Public Expenditure Adjustment Act. R!22, for the carrying -of which the Reform and Liberal Parties were jointly responsible. The Labor Party laid it down as a foundation principle that every State Department must pay its employees a wage sufficient to enable them to provide adequately for their families. This was not now being done, and it was a grave reflection on their public servile that many of the wives and families of tlie public employees were suffering from hardship and want "bile their husbands and fathers were working full time. While this was so. there inevitably would be discontent and a discontented service could never ei*. tliat degree of efficiency wanted to secure Until satisfaction for Hio workers and efficiency for the State. The I.a hour Party, said Mr Holland, proposed to alter the pie'sent system of management so as to give the Railwav Servants an effective share in the administration of the service. Tlie Administrative Board, they would set up would consist of experts, with elected representatives of the Railway* servants.

Referring to the Press Association message to the conditions laid down by the Government, Afr Holland said it was the first intimation that he had received that the Government had demanded that the railway-men should secede from the Alliance of Labour, or have their superannuation rights forfeited. The fact that tbo Government

was capable of that threat should demonstrate to the public servants that with the present Government in control no industrial, political, or economic privilege was safe. It was quite possible that they would next find tho Government demanding that the rail-way-men should determine their membership of tlie Labour Party branches. Superannuation, lie said, was in reality an insurance fund, provision being made for old age, the premiums of which were honestly paid in by tho workers concerned, and to threaten the individual worker with tlie forfeiture of that insurance because of tlie collective act of liis organisation would he political criminality that every right-thinking person iu the community would condemn. It represented methods that no insurance office, whether mutual or privately owned, would think of adopting. Tho demand for secession from the Alliance of Labour indicated clearly the Government’s determined hostility- to national industrial organisations, and sooner or later, they might expect to find the men employed in the State Alines peremptorily ordered to have nothing further to do with the West Coast Miners’ Council the Aliuers Federation, or tho Alliance. Not only was there a direct threat against the industrial federations, but the latest pronouncements seemed to indicate hero was no guarantee that the forty-four hour week would not lie attacked, and if that were so in the case of tho railwayinen, it meant that the forty-four hour week would lie menaced in all other industries.

The wltijle situation, said Air Holland, brought the public servants and all other workers face to face with the hard fact that their most effective move must- be on the field of political notion. At the conclusion of Air Holland's address the following resolution was carried: “That this meeting thanks Afr Holland for his address, and expresses confidence in him personally and in the New Zealand Labour Party.”