RAILWAY RETRENCHMENT

Hokitika Guardian, 26 May 1931, Page 5

RAILWAY RETRENCHMENT

FURTHER ECONOMIC MEASURES.

(By Telegraph —Per Press Association)

CHRISTCHURCH, May 2*

"It is difficult to say how many officers will apply to retire under the conditions laid down,” said the Minister for Railways .the Hon. W. A. \ eitch, last evening, discussing the economy measures recently taken in his Department. "1 here will be-some more, but J cannot say how many. A considerable proportion of those affected have already retired. Each case is considered on its merits as the applications cornu to hand.”

The men discharged recently at the Hillside workshops had been engaged for capital purposes, the time and need for which have now passed. In general terms that applied to all of t*e men whose services had been dispensed with, and it entirely depended on the conditions whether further economy measures of such a nature would be required. Men engaged on the same terms as'thuse at Hillside had beendischarged throughout the Dominion, including a number at Addington. The Railway Department was suffering from the trade depression, just as private business was, and its revenue had fallen off considerably. There was no call for the same number or employees as formerly, mid the Department was reducing' the total to that required.