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B. FAIRE.,

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of that nature may be sheeted home to any motorman at any time, and 1 say this : that at the present time the City Councils and the companies, under the present issue of the certificates, can, instead of sacking a man and giving him a legal right for wrongful dismissal, disrate him, and avoid all that sort of thing. The reason is that if they can fasten the blame on to the motorman they can do away with heavy claims for damages. 10. Will the fact of the Government examining a man make it more safe for the public than the present arrangement ?—lt will mean this : that under the present arrangement any friend of an individual Councillor, manager, or official, or company's official, can if he so desires get a man who is a friend of his in, whether he is an efficient motorman or conductor or not. They prescribe their own examination, they prescribe their own training, and decide their own arrangements. If the Government had this power there would be no such thing as favouritism. 11. Who is the examining authority in Wellington for motormen? —When I was trained and examined Mr. Richardson always examined us exclusively, but now I believe it is relegated to Mr. Cable, the Assistant Electrical Engineer. 12. You say that under the present circumstances it is possible, and you think it is probable, that men are passed as motormen simply by influence? —No, I said it was possible. 13. But not probable? —I would not like to say it is done. 14. You say that the only legal remedy a man has is really when he is discharged?— Yes, that is so. 15. You do not think the Tramway Committee Appeal Board is a satisfactory Appeal Board? —No, there is very much of the Star Chamber proceeding there. 16. You do not think the Board gives justice to the men?— Well, Ido not know. We have received some measure of justice, but not in all cases, and our greatest trouble has been the great deal of time lost in getting an appeal brought on. Sometimes we have been absolutely refused it until we have fought for it for five or six months, and then again it is not independent and it is a bit one-sided. 17. Have the men any representative on the Appeal Board? —No. 18. But you can freely express yourselves?— Yes, there has been no bar to our expressing ourselves. 19. Individually and collectively? —Yes. 20. A motorman must be a conductor first? —Yes, now, although I should like to state that that is not necessary. We have some officials, such as clerks and storekeepers, who drive on .busy days. 21. But they are trained purposely? —They have received two or three hours' training at night-times. 22. That is at rush times that they are emploj'ed? —I believe that is the object. The federation as a whole objects to that, and that is one reason why we want Government supervision. 23. You say the Government ought to limit the width of the cars, but do you know that the Wellington City Council were limited in the width of the cars for the narrow 7 streets?— Yes. 24. And you think the present provisions of the Order in Council satisfied that?— No. 1 think it is necessary where the streets are so narrow that cars with side steps should not be allowed. Two men have already lost their lives through those cars, and several men have been injured, and I do not think side-step cars are suitable where there are narrow streets. 25. Then what we call the palace car you think should not be in use for narrow streets? —I think they should be avoided if possible. 26. In regard to the repair-book, you object to the loose leaf —you think it does not give you any order of reference for previous faults? —That is so. 1 think we should have the right of reference. . . 27. When you take your car out in the morning are you not satisfied that the car is in good condition and all right?— Yes, that is so, but that is not the point. We have no means of testing any car to see whether it is in good condition. You can only try it when it is on the track. You cannot try the hand-brake or magnetic brake on a standing car —you cannot tell till you get your car going. In regard to the repair-book, in the event of a car being booked up repeatedly, perhaps the last motorman to get that car has an accident, and he has now no means of knowing whether that car has been repeatedly booked up; but if we had the old-style repair-book he could see at a glance that his car has been booked up for weeks repeatedly, and we wish to have the old style back. . . , . 28. In regard to overloading and fast time-tables, do you mean that it is too quick in the return journey or too quick in the speed? —Too quick in the speed for the overloading. All the runs are all right in the day except at the time of the heavy rushes. 29. Supposing you get a big rush on on a Saturday evening and you get full and are perhaps delayed, then you have to rush in order to overtake your time-table? —That is one of the reasons. 30. Then,' in regard to the Appeal Board, you think it would be more satisfactory if it was an independent Board ?—Yes. 31. Notwithstanding the fact that the people of Wellington elect their own representatives as a Tramway Committee ?—There is a good deal of commercial spirit shown by the representatives of the people, but they are there to represent the people certainly. I do not think that the employers who sack the men should sit on the appeal. _ 32. But what about the Government? —The Government have no hand directly in the dismissal of the men. »*»**• j. * 33. It is the same thing with the railway system—you have the right of veto by the Minister 1 —They have also the right of taking anything before the floor of the House. 34. With regard to the platform contrivances—the bell, gong, and the brake—you think they should be similar in every car?— Yes, it is absolutely necessary. If a man is in the habit