■D.—4

6

Working -ho urn. Workmen are required to work eight hours per day or forty-eight hours per week for the authorised daily wages. The regular hours of work are from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on working-days, with one hour off. Extra pay will be allowed to labourers and tradesmen for time worked in excess of eight hours per day, subject to existing regulations. Locomotive-running. Fifty-four hours to count as one week's work for a driver or fireman. Overtime to be counted at the rate of time and a quarter. Traffic. , Traffic employes generally will be required to work all trains on the advertised time-table without allowance for overtime. But, as far as possible, duties to be arranged to avoid overtime. Fifty-four hours to count as one week's work for guards ; overtime to be counted at the rate of time and a quarter. GENEBAIV. Half-pay will be allowed to employes suffering accident when on duty, if from causes beyond their own control, for the first three months, and quarter-pay for an additional three months. As far as can be arranged consistently with economy and public convenience, in the ease of employes generally the working-time is not to exceed eight hours per day, or forty-eight hours per week of six working-days. Drivers, firemen, and guards will have the whole time counted from first coming on duty until finally leaving, except in cases where they are standing for more than three hours at a spell. Time standing for more than three hours at a spell will not be counted. Special cases on branch lines, &c, where the limit of a week's work must of necessity be exceeded, will be treated on their merits. The Commissioners will restrict all excessive hours of working, employing extra hands as a rule in preference. The workmen as a general rule cannot be paid for the time going to or coming from their work, but in extreme and exceptional cases special allowance will be made according to the merits of the case. Piecework. Piecework to be abolished, except in the case of such work as can be properly let by contract. The new regulations will be brought into operation as from the commencement of next fourweekly period, the 20th July. I have, &c, W. Hoban, Esq., President, E. G. Pilcher, Secretary. Amalgamated Society of Eailway Servants, Christchurch.

APPENDIX.

PEOCEEDINGS OF CONFEBENCE BETWEEN THE NEW ZEALAND EAILWAY COMMISSIONERS AND EEPEESENTATIVES OF THE AMALGAMATED SOCIETY OP EAILWAY SEEVANTS. Momday, 16th June, 1890. At 11 o'clock a.m. on Monday, the 16th June, the Eailway Commissioners—Messrs. J. McKerrow (Chief Commissioner), J. P. Maxwell, and W. M. Hannay—were waited upon by the following deputation appointed by the Executive of the Amalgamated Society of Eailway Servants of New Zealand :' Messrs. W. Hoban (President), W. J. Owen (Vice-President), P. Elvines, E. Winter, W. Haden, and W. J. Edwards (General Secretary). Messrs. T. P. Eotherain, Locomotive Superintendent; J. H. Lowe, Engineer; and E. G. Pilcher, Secretary, were also in attendance. The proceedings were opened by Mr. Hoban, who read the following statement: Gentlemen, permit me, as President of the Executive Council of the Amalgamated Society of Eailway Servants of New Zealand, to introduce to you the deputation from Christchurch—Messrs. Owen (VicePresident), Edwards (General Secretary), Winter, Haden, and Elvines. I should here like to correct an erroneous impression which seems to be implanted in your minds. In forming our union we had no desire to interfere with any employe's individual rights, neither had we any desire to raise difficulties between employer and employe. The railway men throughout the length and breadth of the land have felt for some time past that it was absolutely necessary for the protection of their interests, and to preserve the scales evenly-balanced, to have some'channel through which to proceed, and for that purpose, and for their own social comfort, desired and formed a union amongst themselves. You must admit that their action already has been productive of good, because since tlie formation several grievances have been redressed, and several changes for the better have been effected, which have been conducive to the welfare of the employes generally. Be your correspondence, and your first communication, and with reference to society's rules, you will see it was quite impossible for tlfe Executive to meet you on the matter, because the annual conference, held in February last, representing employes of the whole colony, had framed them, and further decided that no alterations should be made until the next annual conference.