RAILWAY EMPLOYES AND THE COMMISSIONERS.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2047, 17 May 1890, Page 2

RAILWAY EMPLOYES AND THE COMMISSIONERS.

Wellington, May 15. Agitation has been going on among the railway employees for some time past, which threatens to culminate in a general strike; m fact, there is an uneasy feeling that the men may possibly go out on Sunday. The following circular has been telegraphed by the Railway Commissioners to their staff: “The Railway Commissioners have just learned that a society, formed of the Government railway employees and others, the executive of which has recently been in communication with the Commissioners, is organising a strike and announcing its determination to come between the Commissioners and the employees. The executive have declined to promote a meeting between representatives of the employees and the Commissioners. The Commissioners desire that if the employees have a grievance, they should appoint delegates from among themselves to meet them and discuss the question, ihey warn the employees against actmg on the orders of the executive ot the society without first meeting the Commissioners openly, and fairly stating and discussing any matters they are aggrieved at. The Commissioners are desirous of meeting the employees in a fair and liberal spirit.”

The Commissioners complain of the executive burking a reasonable understanding beingarrived at, and stale that out of 42,000 employes 600 of them are under 21 years of age. Mr W.ff. Edwards, general secretary pt the Hallway Servants, says that the rpmop about a strike is unfounded. I be matter must first be submitted to a board of arbitration, after which a majority of three-fourths of all the

employes must rote in favor of a strike. The votes now being taken to obtain the opinions of the employes to see whether they were favorable to extreme measures in the event of all other means failing, but not to decide on a strike. The correspondence which has i passed between the secretary of the Amalgamated Railways Servants I Society is rather lengthy. The first dated March 29th, complains , of boy labor bringing down wages and work-

ing men out of employment, and insisting that there shall not be more than one youth to four men, and also that men are kept 16 and 18 hours at work without adequate remuneration while piecework is given- to some men’ and men on day labor expected to do as much as.the piecework men. To this the Commissioners reply on April 21 that under certain restrictions they do not object to the railway servants forming an association; but before recognising the above society they require further information. On the same day, evidently before receiving the above note,, a second letter was despatched to the Commissioners complaining of boy labor, etc., and no notice being taken of the former letter on the 28th April a further letter was addressed to the Commissioners, and no reply was received up to the-l3th of May, when the Commissioners wrote stating that some of the rules were not appropriate for official recognition, as they were not in harmony with the Railways Act, 1887, and objecting to honorary members who were not employes being admitted into the society, They, howeiver, invite legitimate railway employes to a conference.

To this the secretary of the railway servant replies rather warmly. Inter alia he says—Taken for granted that the Act of 1867 regulates the duties of the Commissioners, then it is evident, judging by facts, that the Act provides for the introduction of excessive boy labor to the terrible risk of railway men and the general public. It provides for an indirect reduction of wages which in so large a Government department will act as a precedent in reducing wages generally the colony. It provides for the iniquitous system of piecework even to the disgraceful extent of compelling men on day wages to work with those who are given labor on piecework. It provides for the maintaining of excessively long hours of labor and nonpayment for overtime, utter disregard of an impartial and just system of promotion, illegal extortion of hardearned wages of aailway men in the name of “fines.” It provides, in short, for the demoralisation of the service; and as the object of the Society is to abolish these things and bring about a better condition of the service for the humanity employed in railway working, its aspirations must, to a certain extent, be contrary to the spirit of the Act of 1887, in so far as that Act affects the social condition of the employes. Honorary members (members of liament) are admitted into the society, but have no vote when any question whatever comes up with regard to the society. Relative to the suggestion that a conference of representatives of the society (themselves being railway servants) should meet in Wellington, I have to state that the Executive Council does not see the necessity of such a special conference m the face of the General Conference held m February last, and again to be held in February, 1891, at Auckland. iNo reply having been so far received to the communication dated from here March 29th last, dealing with the questions of boy labor, apprentices, unskilled laber, cadets, hours of labor piece work, &c., together with the communication of April 21st, I have honor to ask that these communications be replied to definitely by the 18th of the present month. I have, &c., W. J. Edwards, General Secretary A.8.R.5.” Ihe reply of the Commissioners is a regret that their suggestion with regard to the conference has not been carried out. No doubt it is on the demand for a definite reply before the 18fch instant the Commissioners found their suspicion that a strike would take place.