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Manawatu Times, Volume III, Issue 22, 18 January 1879, Page 2

On Thursday a new regime was inaugurated on the Manawatu railway, by the retirem nt of all the station clerks on the line. We do not know who is responsible for the change, and consequently refrain from saddling the blame- upon the shoulders of any particular person, but we must express our determined disapprov *1 of the step, It is true that by the innovation a saving of a couple of hundred pounds a year may be effected: but is it supposed for a moment- that the work can be efficiently done with the re* dwed staff? It has been asked by novae whoare not acquainted with such matter whytravelling clerks are a necessity here when they are unknown m America, Australia, and a number of the lines m the South Island ? •The answer is very readily given — Because on the Mana. watu 'Section there are a number of stations at which there are no tickets issued. Then it may be urged that the work may be done by the guard ; but that is equally as --absurd as the first suggestion. • We admit that upon ordinary lines the matter might be so arranged ; but the MafiaWatu Section is not an ordinary line and that is why it could not be- worked. Had the guard to do nothing more than attend to his freight and passengers from station- to station, then the thing nrghtrcr ainly be feasible. But what are th«> aotnal facts P On the line between PeildiiiL"and Foxton there are Bull's Mill, Bunnythorpe^ Terrace End. Kiehter's, Awar>uni, Karere, Jackeytown, Oroua B idgp, Simpson's, Carnarvon, and Coote Town, being m all twelve stations, where not only passengers get on the i rain, but waggons, timber; or parcels are daily both put down and taken on. When it is considered that between Palmerston North and Foxton— a distance of only twentyfour miles — there are po less than ten stationless stations — if we piay use the term — we ask how is it possible for the fcuard to issue tickets, take money, and do all the attendant clerical work? We say it cannot be done. The Government are at present m possession of an efficient man, who has held the position for years, but it is certainly no slur upon his ability to say that he is incapable for this burden which has been placed upon his shoulders. Such a system of keen cheese- paring is not only eonfemptible hut injudicious. !V -'Then, again, there is another officer upon whom this new arrangement will press with no light hand— we allude to Mr. Marcus, the energetic station-master at Halcombe, and also m a lesser degree upon Mr, Hickson, station-master at Foxton. and his brother officer at Wangnnui. According to the issued instructions, those officers will have to receive and check the accounts of the guards arriving at their stations j but, as we remarked, Mr. Marcus will have the lion's share of the work, inasmuch as while the officers at Wanganui and Foxton will have to take charge of accounts between Haleombe and those respective places, Mr. Marcus will have to be responsible for those from Foxton and from Wanganui too. We believe all the assistance he receives is the third of a man's time and one por, ter. The only clerical aid rendered him is th>t given by Mr, King, who is postmaster and telegraphist beside. The absurdity of this arrangement is shown by the fact that although Mr. Kino is most willing to bear his third oP the burden, so greatly do the three offices clash, that he is practically, and to all intents and purposes utterly valueless as an assistant, for at the very time when his services are required upon, railway matters, he is attending to either postal or telegraphic business.' The extra labor thus placed upon the shoulders of the officials has, as might bo expected, caused great dissatisfaction, for it w-^s thought that sixteen hours a day was quite. sn%ient without the extra labor, Hitherto the Department has had reason to be -proud of its se^vapts, and we. regret to hear that

the ill-advised change hns.hadtheefjfeet of disgusting those affected* to sutib a degree that they meditate seeking employment elso where-. ...