R. W. MCVILLT,

83

1.-6 A,

16. Then in your experience the Railway officer puts dollars before experience every time?—l have not said so. I have said that it is so in many cases. I know of a fexv cases where the men took the position to gain experience, but I know of many others where the reason has been that the relieving-allowance formed a very considerable item as an addition to salary. 17. So that there are instances xvhere men have taken the positions for experience?— Yes, but you could count them on the fingers of one hand. 18. In the report of the Department one of the reasons given for not paying any more travelling-allowance than is payable is that the Department considers it is the duty of the Railway Department when fixing payments to consider the financial effect the proposals will have on the operations of the Department. Do you seriously suggest that the payment of Is. 6d. more would affect the finances of the Railway Department?—lf you take the payment of Is. 6d. per day for the relieving officers in New Zealand and you add thatto the other items, the aggregation is a considerable sum. On every question that conns up where additional expense is involved, it does not matter how small the expense, it affects the financial position. 19. Then, in referring to the rate paid to Railway officers in Australia, does not the lower rate paid for living-expenses simply show that the cost of living in Victoria is less?—No, it shows this : that the Railway administrators there viexv the relieving officers' allowances the same as elsewhere —that is. as an amount fixed to cover the difference in the expenses of the officer in getting board. 20. So that it does show the cost of living is less in Victoria if they pay less than in New Zealand I- -No, because I think, according to the evidence of your officer here yesterday, it was possible to get board in New Zealand for £1 2s. 6d. per week, and if you take the Victorian rate you xvill find it works out t<_ -c than £1 2s. 6d. per week. 21. .1//-. Craigie.] How many relieving officers, on an average, xx-ould be out?—At the present time, speaking from memory, I think xve have about sixty men altogether. I xvill verify that later on. 22. Mr. Ross.] Out of those sixty relieving officers, how many of them are permanent relieving officers? —I am speaking from memory, and 1 think we have sixty members of the First Division at the present time relieving. 23. I xvitnt to know how many permanent relieving officers you have : I am not speaking of tin- assistant relieving officers who go out occasionally, but the permanent men? —The assistant relieving officer is a permanent man just the same as the assistant running-shed foreman, and he is relieving all the time. 24. I am not asking that; I am asking how many actual permanent relieving officers you have apart from what is known as the assistant? —I am not prepared to say straight off or to split them up into sections, but 1 have just stilted the number of men we have out relieving, and I believe I am correct, speaking from memory. 25. Is it not a fact that there is only one relieving officer on each section I —No, that is not ii fact. 26. Is it not a fact that there is only one relieving officer in Invercargill?—No, it is not a fact. I think there is one senior in each district, but there js a number of assistant relieving officers, and so far as the Department is concerned each of those men is a relieving officer. 27. So that there is only one relieving officer on each section? —No, that is not so. 28. And the balance of the work is done by juniors?— No. that is not so. There is one senior relieving officer and a number of assistant relieving officers. 29. And the assistant relieving officers are usually drawn from the lowest grade in the Division?—Thev are drawn from a grade and paid at the salary which the Department considers the position is worth. 30. The Chairman.] About what is the cost to the Department annually for the extra expense lor relieving officers? —I cannot tell you that straight off. lam getting the figures looked out, but it involves looking through the vouchers. If the men were engaged till the time I could say exaotly, but there is a certain amount of broken time, and I want to give the actual figures. 31. Mr. Craigie.] Supposing the allowance for the Railway relieving officers xvas brought up to the same as allowed the Postal officials, Is. 6d. a day more, it would make a difference of £1,400 to the Department?— About £1,700. But it does not stop there: I xvas endeavouring to make that clear in reply to Mr. Ramsay. It is the aggregation of these things. If you could take one thing you could say that will cost £1,700 a year, but it is not so; it is a constant up, and up, and up all the time. I will state for the information of the Committee that I know of a case in xvhich a £500 request was made, and it was given, but it cost us £10,000 before xve could wink, Because everything else had to be dealt with accordingly. That xvas per annum. 32. Mr. J. V. Brown.] That would be an exceptional case? —It was not an exception so far as increased expenditure xxas concerned. John Goodlet McPherson further examined. (No. 20.) 1. The chairman.] You noxv desire to make a statement in support of clauses 12 and 13?— Yes. Clauses 12 and 13 of the petition provide —" 12. That it is provided by Regulation 55 of tin Act that the Genera] Manager may, at such times as in his opinion are convenient, grant to each officer leave of absence on pay for each continuous year's service a total of two weeks in each calendar year. provided, hoxvever, that in till cases xvhere sick-leave is granted on full pay the period oovered by such leave shall be deducted from the ordinary leave specified therein. That Regulation 56 provides that, subject to the production of a satisfactory certificate from a medical practitioner, or a copy of such certificate attested by an officer of a friendly society, any officer shall be entitled to full pay when absent from duty owing to illness for any period up to four weeks of such absence, and' that no further payment shall be made without the authority of the