THE RAILWAY SERVICE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 195, 16 February 1914, Page 8

THE RAILWAY SERVICE.

SUGGESTIONS BOARD TO BJC SET I UP. 1 .UPENDING ALTERATIONS, NOT " REFORMS." STATEMENT BY MR. 11ILKY. By Telegraph—l'ress Association. Wellington, Last Night. At tins Amalgamated .Society of Hailway Servants' banquet on Saturday 'night, Mr lliley, general manager of railways, said that with the railway business growing as it was, it was obvious that alterations were pending and were about to be carried out. He used tbe word "alterations" advisedly. Some paragranhists had it tliat "reforms'' were to be carried out. He deprecated the use of the word "reform," for it cast a slur on the builders of the Dominion':-: railway service. That impression, for one moment should not be allowed to go abroad; in fact, the ease was quite the other wav. It was natural, that with the growth of the service improvements were necessary, and lie asked the co-operation n-I a9sintancc of the vailwaymen in the alterations that were to be carried out. He asked that the railwayman should assist the Department with suggestions regarding the working and organisation of the railways, and in a few days' time he intended" to circularise the A.S.R.S. and other railwaymen with .regard to setting up a .Suggestion Board. The idea was not his own, but a "crib" from the Great Western Company »t Home. So that it would be. properly considered, lie Would like to say at once that he intended to see personally each suggestion that came in from the service. He would not .-uy that he would not turn a great many of them down but those he thought'might be useful he- would send on to the Suggestions Board, which would be set un from officers representing the various branches of the. service.

Regarding patent', «« intended to mnko some improvements. Railwavmen who had patents would in future tie able to send them on to the Suggestion* Board, which would treat them as confidential. (Applause). A scheme of monetary recognition for the suggestions sent in by the men might not be ndoptable, but, at any rate, the action of the senders would be recognised, at least by a letter of thanks from the Department. Mr Hiley congratulated the Society on the completion of the new buildin". Unionism, he said, as long as it was sane, could only be for good. The Society so far had existed on sane, lines, and had stuck to its plcd-es against all temptations. Tie would give them the same counsel as Sir Joseph ATard had done, namely, to establish a reputation for reasonableness. He. would always like to open the Society's letters and feel they contained something he could grant at once. -After all, the railway managers were tied hand and foot by finance. LOCO. MEN'S GRIEVANCES.

Ohristclnnch, Saturday Night. At a loco, men's conference to-dav. a motion! was passed condemning the present system, which, it was contended, was opposed to the best interests' of the service, and curtails the promotion of 'men from the lower to higher grades of service. The present practice of the Department in denying privilege tickets to railwaymen's children was criticised as a hardship, particularly in cases where families are sent on transfer to isolated places. Under the present system it sometimes costs a railwaymin and his wife (who get privilege tic'kpts) more money to carry their children thin •ftey have to pay for themselves. Oases were quoted in which the children's fare doubled or quadrupled those of the fathers and mothers. To-nisht the local men hold a smoke-concert. To-, morrow the delegates are being taken for a harbor excursion.