ENGLISH RAILWAYS

Hokitika Guardian, 14 November 1930, Page 5

ENGLISH RAILWAYS

[United Press Association —By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright.)

LONDON, No vs 13

The railways companies also proposed that payment bo only made for time actually worked. The standard of hours is to include Sunday duty, excess to be paid time and a quarter, The Companies cite competition with other forms of transport with high operatibe costs. The wages were £47,000,000 in 1913, £150,000,000 in 1919. Traffic receipts for 1930 will probably be ten and a half millions below 1929. GRADE REDUCTIONS. (Received this day at 11 a.m.) LONDON, Nov. 13. Stating as a simple truth that they cannot continue the present expenditure on labour, the Railway Companies asked the unions to accept heavy reductions in the grades. They propose an immediate reduction of 6s weekly in adult male wages and 3s weekly on females and junior males £2O sterling annually. For a salaried staff earning between £IBO and £2:O sterling annually £lO annually. For a salaried staff earning between £BO and £l7O sterling annually the railway unions are proposing counter proposals. LONDON, November 13.

Mr Cramp, the Railwaymen’s secretary says the cuts will be resisted to the last ditch. He describes the demands as absurd and intimates neither they nor anything akin will be acceptable to the union. He estimates the cut means a saving of seven millions in wages.