SHUNTING CONDITIONS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 2903, 30 June 1925, Page 2

SHUNTING CONDITIONS.

DISCUSSED IN t THE HOUSE-. Wellington, Last Night Members of Parliament are drawing attention to the recent batch of accidents to railway shunters. Sir John Luke asked in the House to-night if the Minister of Railways would examine the statements of coroners who had conducted the inquests on shunters and also look into the statements of the men in this branch of the service, together with the requests of the A.S.R.S. and grant a fall inquiry into the working conditions of shunters. Mr 11. E. Holland also asked for a full inquiry and for adequate representation at the inquiry of the A.S.R.S. He asked also if the Minister was aware that there was congest inn and had lighting in railway yards and that the men were harrassed by their superiors. Mr Coates said that insofar as the shunters were concerned, he wished to make it quite clear that as far as was humanly possibje, he was anxious to give the very best possible conditions within the actual limitations of capacity to do it. It had been long recognised not only in New Zealand, but all over the world, that shunting was a dangerous occupation. The Railway Board and he himself had gone into the whole question, and they had set up a committee of experts, consisting of men of long experience in railway work, to inquire into all questions concerning shunters. They knew that a number of their lay-outs in Now Zealand were not satisfactory, and the new ones would provide for better control of wagons, cars and engines. The ]>oints would he the most modern they could get. Inquiries were being made in Great Britain, France and Germany, and men of experience had been brought from other parts of the world, especially to advise the Department. In addition, this year they were spending £IO,OOO on the electric lighting of yards, house and stations. To say that the yards were up to date would be wrong, but they were hoping to make a number of them up to date as soon as possible, lie was afraid that whatever they did, there would always be accidents, hut lie could assure them that the Department was alive to the position and would do its best to improve it. As to the charge that a man had been working 12 hours without anything to eat, he thought that must he an extreme case. He would be glad if they would give him the mail’s name and an inquiry would he made. M r Party: They are ofen found walking about eating their meals id<e fowls. (Laughter). The Prime Minister: The Hon. member has not a monopoly of sympathy for the men.