THE RAILWAYS.

Taranaki Daily News, 7 February 1920, Page 7

THE RAILWAYS.

EVIDENCE AT THE INQUIRY., RECENT IMPROVEMENTS MADE. By Telegraph—Press Association. Wellington, Feb. 6. At the railway inquiry Mr. Mac Donald, Assistant-General Manager, continuing hia address, said the explanation of the apparently uncompromising attitude of the department in respect to the claims placed before the board lay in the fact that the department bad in the Government Railways Act, passed not two months ago, made substantial improvements in the pay and conditions of the stall' respecting overtime ajid night rates- These added a sum of over £250,000 to the departmental expenditure and, in addition to the war bonus to the staff, made a fixed addition to the pay with full consideration tlie circumstances, not only of the department, but of the country. It was decided that the improvements made were as far as the management could go. There wa9, however, no desire on the part of the management to adhere rigidly to that decision. In the event o£ the cost of living still advancing and if the circumstances should materially alter the whole question would be reopened and further improvements made to meet any change of conditions. The present claims must therefore be viewed in the light of the improvements already granted and it was submitted there had not been such material change in the conditions of life as would justify the revision of the provisions already made Tlip. rnnnasement fully recognised its ; obligation to pay a living wage, but ' submitted it was at present discharging that obligation. He submitted that , the amount required' to meet the ' claims of the First Division would exceed £300,000 a year, and the aggregate sum to meet the claims of the three societies was £1,030,000. This I did not include the cost of granting the extended leave sought by the Second Division societies, which would he in the vicinity of £050,000 for the first year and a recurring annual liability of nearly £IOO,OOO. It would be seen that Hie sum mentioned would more than absorb the whole net revenue of the department, which last year amounted to £1,880,000.

FIRST DIVISION'S CLAIMS. The reply of the Railway Department to the claims of the First Division of the Railway Service was made at today's sitting of the Railway Service Board. Mr. Mac Donald, Assistant-General Manager, said he was disappointed at the manner in which the institute had presented its ease. There had been a regrettable absence on the part of some speakers of the fairness and moderation which was conspicuously a characteristic of the previous executives of the institute in their relations with the' management. The charge made by a taember of the Officers' Institute that the departments sweated clerks at stations for the purpose ci augmenting its revenue was as base.e-j* as it was misI'hicvuis.

Mr. Mac Donald read a statement made by an ex-president of the Officers' Institute at a conference with the General Manager . to the effect that the Institute had a great deal to thank the Department for in adjusting matters of excessive hours, and that in nearly every case improvements had been effected.

Mr. Mac Donald went on to say that where the Department's schedule differed from the Institute's original demands was in the maxims attached to the higher grades. The reason was that the cause for the revision of the wages conditions at that time was the rise in the cost of living. The. Department practically met the Institute on their own terms for those grades mainly affected by the cost of living, and, while granting material increases to the higher grades, did not go the whole length of the Institute's demand.

FACILITIES FOR PROMOTION. He denied tlmt the administration of the scale hy the department compared unfavorably with that of other departments. It must be obvious to the board that an ;i«e*=ment of the value of the services rendered by men in various Positions in .the departments of the State was a matter for the administration officers to settle. In regard to the facilities for promotion, both the Department and Institute were anxious, to give efficient mc-n opportunities to get to the top. There was no lack of sympathy on the part of the management, and any trouble was taken to understand the aims and aspirations of the staff. The management recognised that a higher standard of service such a?K was required of a staff carrying special responsibilities could not be obtained if the me;i were discontented. Nothing tcs more certain to stimulate the- development of motor traffic competition than high railway freights, which t.ie department was trying to avoid. He condemned as absolutely unjust the urewl to run the railways at a loss to he borne by the tax-payers in order that the railwayinen might get higher pay. This closed the ease for the First Division and the Commission adjourned till tQ-maciew-,