Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 1911. THE RAILWAY SERVANTS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10160, 9 February 1911, Page 4

Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 1911. THE RAILWAY SERVANTS.

The Amalgamated. Society of Railway ■Servants, which is at present holdiiig its annual conference in Wellington, has made the significant -announcement that henceforth it will have no communication with the Minister for Railways, but will act in unison with outside Labour bodies. In the past the railway serv-ants,-who comprise about seven thousand persons, have acted independently of all„, other Labour organisations. They have made their direct to the Minister, and have relied entirely upon his sympathetic nature for the redress of •their (special grievances. It has been evident for some years past, however, that the sympathy between the head of the Department, and his men has been waning. The resolutions passed by the last annual conference of railway servants were practically ignored by the Minister. The Society feels that it has now no cour.se open but to affiliate with other Labour organisations, which means the bringing of political pressure to bear upon the powers that be. It is very much to be deplored that the members of a public service should be forced into an active political campaign; but the railway servants of the Dominion claim that they have been treated with such studied contempt that they have no option but to assert themselves, at the polls. From present indications it would appear that the Government will have a hard row to hoe. It has fallen foul of very nearly every labour organisation in the Dominion, and has set at defiance one of the most powerful combinations of workers in the State. What the outcome of the decision of the Amalgamated Railway Servants will be, few can foretell. It would not be surprising, however, if this, branch of labour were to demand tJio protection of the Arbitration Court, and, failing this, were to resort to the weapon which has recently been enmployecl against some of the Railway Companies in England. The outlook is by no means reassuring.