THE RAILWAYMEN.

Taranaki Daily News, 10 March 1920, Page 4

THE RAILWAYMEN.

The discontent which has for some time past been evident among the railwaymen of the Dominion has not teen overcome by the Commission over which Mr. Justice Stringer presided. Meetings are being held, at which a decidedly aggressive tone has been taken. The increased cost of living is with, the railway-men, as with other workers, the lever for forcing up wages, and the recommendations made by the Commission do not satisfy the demands of the men. This independent tribunal was set up in order to tiring the wages into line with the cost of living. The report states that the basic wage should now be increased by 3s 5d a week, and a bonus of 6s a week is recommended, on the ground that the increase in the pre-war basic wage of £2 14s to £3 12s in March, 1919, did not fully compensate the members of the service for the increases in the cost of living during the period covered. The increase now offered is £1 4s on the basic wage of £2 14s paid before the war, but ■the bonus is not reckoned in overtime, and single men -receive only half this bonus. It is obvious—and the report admits the fatf.—that the suggested rates for skilled tradesmen compare unfavorably with those received by men in private employ. Against this, r-ailwaymen •have certain advantages by way of permanent employment, full time, holidays, free passes, and superannuation. The tendency of the workers, however, is to regard only their earning power, so that their actual wage dominates their outlook. The railway staff is on a very large scale, so that an additional shilling a day to each employee entitled thereto would involve an extra expenditure of £280,000 a year, but that aspect of the question should not be taken into account when considering what is a fair wage for the men to be paid. The first consideration is the efficiency of the service, and if that is to be maintained the employees must be paid a wage that at least corresponds with that given by private employers, otherwise the best men will seek more remunerative work elsewhere, lit is not a question nf what a fair wage will cost the country, but of giving the railwaymen a square deal. The higher grade officers nre well circumstanced, and it would seem that the men whi> do the actual running work of the railways should also receive satisfactory treatment. The chief grievance appears to emanate from the single men, and it would seem that the Department should institute a policy that would encourage men to marry and settle down to their work. This involves the provision of houses and adequate pay on which to maintain a home. The. present outburst of protests against the proposed scale of pay is an outoomft of Wm» 4iMWie&t that

has been growing to a serious extent, and has led to a large number of resignations from the service. It doe? not follow that, all the demands of the men must be met, but the need exists for removing the causes of disaffection, and though the Commission's labors were directed towards this end, they have not been crowned with success. After all, it is the public that is served by the railways, and it is the public who pays the bill. Possibly the Premier might be equally successful in a round table conference with the raihvaymen as he was with the miners. The experiment is worthy of a trial.