TRAINS RUN TO-DAY.

Taranaki Daily News, 3 May 1920, Page 5

TRAINS RUN TO-DAY.

A DRAMATIC ENDING.

RAILWAY STRIKE OVER. MEN'S LEADER BREAKS DOWN. TRIBUNAL TO HEAR DISPUTE. The railway strike ended late on Saturday night, and trains will run to-day. The immediate cause of the settlement was that the loeo. men's secretary suffered a nervous breakdown, and the executive was unable to continue the negotiations in his absence. A tribunal has been appointed to consider all matters in dispute.

(HEN WITHOUT A LEADER. TEEMS OF SETTLEMENT. $9 Sslsgrtth.—Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. The loco men's strike ended suddenlj owing to the illness of the general secretary, Mr. W. MeAfley, who suffered a eevere nervous breakdown on Saturday afternoon, and was ordered complete rest by Us doctor. Mr. McArley had all the strings in his bands and the members of his executive were not prepared to continue the Struggle without him. They therefore signed the agreement that had been framed at the conference on Friday, and abandoned the demand for a signed undertaking from the Govennent as to retrospection. The agreement provides for a tribunal consisting of four members appointed by the Government and two by the Association, with two assessors from each party. Each may be represented by «n advocate. The Commission will consider all the matters in dispute and submit its recommendation! to the parties. The question of retrospection is to he, considered by the Commission. The loco men are to resume work at once, and there is to be no prosecution in connection with the strike and no victimisation. The executive of the E.F.C.A. cooperated'with the Government and the Railway Department at once, and is arranging for the resumption of trains, and particularly the Royal trains. Some of the loco men are working already and all will be back to-morrow-StATEMENT BY PREMIER. THE COMMISSION TO SIT SOON. A SHBIT OF CONCILIATION. Wellington, Last Night. _.. The railway strike, was settled late on Saturday night, when Mr. Massey had an interview with the loco men's executive of the union, who aereed to waive their claim for retrospective payment of the increases, and to submit the dispute to a tribunal. Everything is in train for a resumption of the various services to-morrow. In commenting on the settlement obtained, Mr. Massey made the following brief statement: "In each case the principle of conciliation is being observed for the points in dispute as between the EJ.CA. and the Government. A special conciliation committee is being set up, and I hope to have It appointed at or before the end of the week, and to get it to work as soon as possible thereafter. 'ln the other two cases of the First Division and the A.S.R.S., the provisions Of the Labor Disputes Investigation Act are being taken advantage of so far ae they apply- They do not quite fit a dispute as between the Crown and its employees, but the principle is being observed. I have no doubt that it will work out satisfactorily. "I am naturally very glad that the strike has come to an end, especially as it enables the original programme of our Royal visitor to be proceeded with. I am glad to say that so far as I am able to judge, and I think I am right in this, the dispute has left no bitterness behind. The negotiations were conducted in the most friendly spirit, although they were on Friday and Saturday somewhat protracted, but the remit of it all is that we understand one another better than we did before, and as a consequence I believe that any disputes that may occur in the future will be very much more easily settled, and that the Minister of Railways and the Railway Department on the one hand, and the railway men on the other hand, will be the better to work loyally together for our experience during the last lew weeks." E-0.1. ACTION APPLAUDED. Napier, May 1. A meeting of railwaymen representing «U grades of the second division passed a resolution expressing admiration and appreciation at the action of the 8.0.1. in advising members not to undertake any second division duties during the present struggle, and assuring local support in the demand for better conditions for the members.

A.S.R.S. AGREEMENT.

STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT. NO DIFFICULTIES EXPECTED. Christchurch, May 1. "PeTh&ps some of our members are of opinion that the Loco Association will get an advantage which the A.S.E.S. will not. Our executive and I can assure members of the A.S.R.S. there is no possibility 6f anything like that happening. The Government has already risen to the fact that to bring about such an arrangement would only mean falling out of the frying pan into the fire." This significant statement was made this afternoon by Mr. Hampton, president of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants, in an interview covering the mo3t important phases of the railway dispute. Mr. Hampton was asked whether the Prime Minister was eight in his statement that the agreement ended the strike, but not the grievances. "Oh, yes," said Mr. Hampton, "that is quite true, although at the same time, of course, we hope the agreement made for the resumption of work will ultimately end the grievances of the railwaymen, but if it does not the position is safeguarded to this extent, that the men have a right to declare war again. "The trouble was brought about in our cart by the position which the Prime Minister took up in his reply to the executive council, in which he practically said the general manager should have the last word on what he termed technical matters affecting conditions in the service. We had always been prepared to negotiate with the general manager and try to come to terms, and if we could come to terms that, I think, j would be an ideal way of settling our disputes. We can _ never accept the position that the General Manager's word mußt in each and every instance be acecpted as final, without right of appeal to anyone else. "The agreement which we have made gets over that position, and gives us the right to have the general manager's decision; reviewed by an independent tribunal. The arbitrator will not be solely selected by the Prime Minister a3 he originally proposed in his last communication, but will be a matter for negotiation between Mr. Massey and the executive. He will start the hearing of the ease when we both agree that we have confidence in the arbitrators, which will, we hope, be in a few days. "It may be suggested that it will be a difficult matter to arrange, but personally I do not expect any great difficulty in coming to an agreement regarding the chairmanship. To keep thousands of our own men out of employment, involving enforced idleness of thousands of other workers together with the general inconvenience of the public, would not, in my judgment, be justified. Consequently my executive have centred their attentions in the meantime on negotiations which would bring about an early resumption of normal railway services, and a reasonable prospect of better wages and conditions being arranged in the immediate future. "Members o£ the A.S.R.S. can accept I my assurance that the basis of the agreement for resumption is a good one. It allows a full, free, and unrestricted discussion of any matter whatsoever that we wish to discuss' concerning railWay affairs before the tribunal to be set up regarding them. "Telegrams from Napier and Auckland, where members of the A.S.R.S. have Tefuscd to carry out their executive's instructions to resume work, show that it is quite- clear the men there do not understand the position. My executive endeavored to get the E.F.C.A. executive to agree to combined representations on the matter, but the executive of the E.F.C.A- turned down absolutely this proposal, and consequently the A.S.R.S. had no option but to make an agreement meeting their own point of view."