MEETING OF RAILWAY EMPLOYEES.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXV, Issue 77, 29 July 1903, Page 4

MEETING OF RAILWAY EMPLOYEES.

A toll-attended meeting of railway employees was held in the Borough Council Chambers on Tuesday evening, when Mr D. Swift, an ex-employee of the Victorian railway, gave an address on the recent strike in Victoria. Mr D. Morrison was voted to the chair, and britfly introduced Mr Swif Mr Swift began by expressing the pleasure it gave him to visit New Z-;.» land and see the good feeling which ex isted between the employes and em ( ployera here, and tin excellent relations •xieting between the railway men and iba> Government, and particularly the ißfpect shown to the railway employees by the public, whose servants the railway men were. He bad no o'her intention bat to put the true state of affairs before the New Zealand railway men. Mr Swift attributed the strike to the percentage proposal of the Government, which proposal meant, in reality, a reduction in wages The Minister for railways had dtfioi'ely promised redress for their greivanee, but the promised remedies were never earned out. He denied that the railway men had caused disturbance at meetings addressed by Government members. Until they had got into power the Government members never gave the slightest hint that their franchise was in peiil, that ttTiliaed men should be denied the rights of citizens, and placed on a level with Chinese and aboriginals This irritated the railway men to the break- , log point cf endurance, and thsy were then ready to fight the matter to the end, bat they kept themselves dowo. Every day the railway men were h Id ' up to contumely through the newspapers, influenced by the Mini-trfor Btilways, mileage was cut down and the service was reduced, one man bang required to do the work of two. Of course the trains were la f e and the railway men were accused of conspiring to disorganise the service. "Scouts" ■ere employed to spy cut the men at work. Their reports went into the press, and on these were the men i jodged, being eceased, as he had said, : •of conspiring to delay trains, privilege 3, ; panes, holidays, and other concessions i were swept away, wages out down, and a contract was let for 28 new locimotives, and contracts drawn up wi hout the minimum wage c'ause. The list stroke was, however, the compulsory severance from the Trades Hall—a body having no control ever any ~ naion, or power to influence ii in its decisions to strike or not, a body of a purely industrial, and not of a political character. This they refused having been assured that they were well within their legal rights, and the strike followed ss a naturil corsequen:e. Referriogtothe Victorian Preuvei'n interview with themen Mr Swift said this step was taken too late, but even then the men were prepared to accept aib'tiation. TTnfor unately the Premier made it an abeolu e condition that the Union should, witld-aw from the Trades Hall. The men we r e advised to trust the Government, but after their previous experience they felt all confidence in Ministers had gone. On their df riding to stand fast the Government dismissed | every member of the executive of the • society from their employment. This; it was that erased the strike. Then \ MBf> men oat of 1400 rose as one, and j stack to their comrades to fight for] their liberty. They fought in an upright and honourable way; and they protected men, who were doing their work for them, from the public. The strike, however, collapsed when 'the Strike Suppression Bill became law. The executive had a very re ugh time from the men for terminating the strike, and he felt now, as he did not then, that it would have been better for the men to have remained out. He appealed for funds for the men who were suffering by their action in st< iking for their liberty. He said he asked for nothing for himself, for he came at bis own expense.

At the closa of Mr Swif i's address a huge number of questions were asked, after which

Mr S. Smith proposed, and Mr Thompson seconded, that a hearty vote of thank* he given to Mr Swift for his very interesting address, and that the Executive Council of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants be requested to vote a substantial sum in aid of the fund for the relief of our fallow workers in Victoria. Altera few remarks from several of those present this was carried unanimously, and the meeting closed.