I.—Oα

A. GBAHAM.j

■handed

Single-handed Stations. Hours Hand* Hours Hands open. employed. open. employed. Short land .. .. .. 10 1 Selwyn .. .. 9 1 Taringamutu .. .. ..Hi 1 Mount Somen .. ..12 1 Tariki .. .. .. 18 1 Winston .. .. ..12? 1 TeAute .. .. ..12* 1 Winchester .. .. .. LOj 1 Opawa .. .. ..11 1 Washdyko .. .. ..13 1 Styx .. .. ..Hi 1 Makikilii .. .. ..12 1 Cust .. .. 9* 1 Dunback .. .. .. 9 1 Oxford East .. .. .. 14* 1 Port Chalmers, Upper .. .. 13 1 Sefton .. .. ..121 1 Oturehua (Postal: busy) ..9* 1 Prebbleton .. .. .. 10" 1 Tapanui .. .. ..10 1 Springston .. .. .. !)i 1 Fairfax .. .. ..9 1 EUesmere .. .. ..10 1 Ahaura .. .. ..13 1 Doyleston .. .. ..11 1 Richmond .. .. ..9* i Burnham .. .. 10 1 The information contained in the foregoing statement is supplied by the officers themselves. In the case of Washdyke Station, there are more hours worked at this station on account of special trains run after ordinary hours of duty. This case was, I think, represented to the Department in June last as requiring some special relief, lint up to the present time no relief has been granted to this officer. He has corresponded with the Department and laid his case before the institute. We have also laid the ease before the General Manager, anil, as illustrating that the hours xvorked are not singular, I xvill read a letter that this officer received from his District Manager. He wrote calling attention to the long hours, and the answer xvas as follows: "I regret I cannot arrange for relief of this kind. Ordinarily you are only on from 7 a.m. to 7.30 p.m., and there are other stations having as lone or longer hours of regular duty, with attendance on specials xvhen necessary. Specials xvill soon cense for some months, excepi unusual trips." Now, gentlemen, i hat is the opinion of the officer in charge of that section. I only mention that by the way of showing that it is the opinion even of District Officers that long hours are worked and are expected to be worked Now, gentlemen, the hours worked in other Government Departments are fixed on a seven-hours-a-day or thirty-nine-hours-a-week basis —that is, 9 to 5 daily, xvith a half-holiday on Saturday. In the oase of the Post and Telegraph Department, overtime is paid (or time off given) for all time worked in excess of 48 hours per xveek, and in other Government Departments they receive certain allowances if called upon to xvork after 5 p.m. As an example I might just instance Postal officers, a number of whom are at present called upon to work overtime in connection xvith electoral business. These officers are receiving payment for overtime at the scale shoxvn in Schedule F. Now, sir. note the difference. In the Railway Department the officer must work any hours the exigencies of the service demands, and payment for overtime is not allowed under any circumstances. Mane Railway officers ere on duty from ten to twelve hours daily, and a large number, such as those quoted by me, xvork all through the year at not less than nine hours daily. The Department, I have no doubt, will advance the argument that at manx of these places the xvork is intermittent, hut it is certainly no more intermittent than that of the Postmaster in the same toxvn, whose hours are fixed at 9 to 5, whereas the Railway officers' hours may be anything from f> a.m. to 9 p.m. To give some idea of the cost to the Department if the d.iilv duty were reduced to eicrlif hours. I will take the case of an officer in receipt of a salary of less than £-?00 per annum working nine hours per day : if he were paid overtime at the Postal sc !■• he would receive £23 odd in the course of the year; if he xvorked nine and a half hours he would receive £35 odd, and if he worked ten hours a day. £46 per x-ear. Yet the Department maintains thai the free passes, which are not worth anything like this amount, are sriven as a consideration not only for overtime but to compensate officers for the difference in the salaries paid in the Post and Telegraph Department and the Railways, and also the difference in the annual leave in these two Departments. Another point that should not he lost sight of is the fact that the Railway Department indirectly benefits from the free passes which are granted to its officers, as these passes enable officer* to travel about and meet other officers and discuss xvith them the methods obtaining in different centres, to observe the manner in which the xvork is carried out in these places, and so improve their knoxxledge of railway matters generally. We have recognized all alone the difficulties xvith xvhich the Department has to contend in regard to arranging the hours of duty to avoid overtime, and if you will refer to paragraph D of the prayer of the petition you xvill see we are quite prepared to forep-o any claim to overtime provided the Department alloxvs its officers tie- same annual leave as is granted to officers in the Post and Telegraph Department, and does not deduct sick-leave from, annual leave. If, therefore, the Department is agreeable to sick-leave up to twenty-eight dnvs not being deducted from annual leave, then the officers will not press for payment of overtime; hut we certainly think rh»t in those stations where officers work in excess of nine hours ami a half daily some si-stem should be deviled whereby such officers should receive time off. Clause Dof the prayer of the petition snvs. " That railway officers shall receive the same antial leave as officers in the Post and Telegraph Department, and that sick-leave shall not be deducted from annual leave, or, in tin- alternative, that Railway officers shall receive the same annunl leave, the same sick-leave, and the same payment for overtime as officers in the Post and Telegraph Department." Noxv, gentlemen, I have very little more to add fo whit I have already pointed out. Tt xvill be obvious to any reasonable business man that we are not asking for anything outrasreous. We are simply adhering to our petition by making- a comparison xvith the only classified. Department that xx-e have available. These comparisons in the classification of the Denartment have been going on for x-ears. does not that of itself show that the classification has nlxvavs been admitted as a comparison I—The1 —The Department has used it against us as well as for us. Noxv that the Post and Telegraph Denartment has reached a height to which ire not alloxved to get, we submit that xx-e have a perfect right to try and enrVrtvour to get up to that height. That is all T have to say on that subiect

15—1. 6a,

113