B. W. MCVILLY.]

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I.—6a

33. lb reduce the hours of work? —He should make the necessary arrangements to do the right thing for his staff. 34. And the right thing, in your opinion, is to reduce the hours of the staff? —The right thing is to have the xvork properly done at the station so as to remove complaints which the officers say they have got but cannot substantiate, and xvhich I do not say exist. 35. That is a double-barrel answer?— You are not going to drag any admission out of me in regard to any case Ido not knoxv about at the moment. I know the conditions at some of the stations, and I knoxv this : that in every case the Department provides the men and the machinery to enable the right thing to be done and the work to be properly carried out. 36. Assuming the evidence given by Mr. Graham to be correct wherein he stated that seventytwo hours a xx'eek are xvorked by some officers, are you of opinion that if the proper arrangements xvere made by the officers that those hours could be reduced to a reasonable number per day? —I am not going to admit that Mr. Graham's statements are correct, and I am not even going to assume that they are correct; but if the position is as he stated, then proper arrangements could undoubtedly be made, and should be made, by the man on the spot. 37. Are you prepared to say that the statement made by Mr. Graham to-day xvith reference to the hours xvorked by various officers at certain stations is incorrect? —I have already said that I am not going to admit any of the statements made by Mr. Graham 38. Then you are going to contradict it? —I am not going to admit it, and I am not going to be drawn into a discussion in xvhich I may have to tell Mr. Graham 39. Are you prepared to contradict the statement?— Well, I am not going to admit that it is correct by any means 40. I am not asking that? —Kindly allow me to finish. I have already stated that I have not got personal knowledge of every individual place, but I have got the knowledge which xvill enable me to say that the staff is generally sufficient to enable proper arrangements to be made, and if the necessity is there for making them the man on the spot should act accordingly. 41. If you are not conversant with the number of hours worked by the officers, how can you make that statement? —I am aware of the number of officers at each of the stations, and I am aware of the hours that the stations are open and should be xxorked, and I knoxv positively of one case quoted by Mr. Graham where the hours stated to be xvorked is not correct. 42. Then, with regard to the evidence given by Mr. Graham as to the number of hours, is this the first intimation you have had of this condition of affairs existing in the service? —I cannot say that it is the first intimation. We have been getting intimation of this kind tit various times throughout the year both in respect to the First and Second Divisions. 43. And xvhat steps does the Department take? —The Department investigates the case and takes such steps as the circumstances existing at the moment have shown to be necessary. 44. Mr. Witty.] You heard me ask Mr. Graham if an adjustment could not be made at some stations? —Yes. 45. Is it possible to do that? —I know the particular case you had in your mind. The Department went to a very large amount of trouble to try and get that adjustment made at those three particular stations, but could not do it, although the Stationmaster there could have done it. Generally, if the Stationmaster does the right thing, it would be possible for him to make arrangements to reduce excessive hours that the Officers' Institute say are being worked. I do not knoxv that they are —1 am not admitting that statement —but if the statement is correct, then the Stationmasters should be able with the staffs they have got to deal with it satisfactorily. 46. I xvill give you an illustration in connection with East Oxford and West Oxford. At East Oxford the Stationmaster works over ten hours and has no one to help him, and it is a very hard station, xvhereas West Oxford is a light station, and there are three hands there. The Stationmaster at East Oxford is getting an excess of xvork, and I should not like to see you stand on your head and do it?—ln a case of that kind the Stationmaster should represent the matter to the local Traffic Manager, and it is a question for the local officer then. Assuming the facts are as you say —and I am.not, of course, disputing them —there should not be the slightest difficulty in meeting the position. 47. He is the hardest worked man in the service? —I do not think so. However, xvhere you have an instance of that kind it generally results from the Stationmaster at A doing nothing for the Stationmaster at B—he raises objections. 48. I know arrangements have been endeavoured to be made in this case? —I have no personal knowledge of North Canterbury; but there should be no difficulty. 49. The accommodation at that station makes it much worse? —I will take a note of that and get the matter looked into. 50. Mr. Graham.] I put in a statement showing the number of single-handed men that it is not possible to get relief for unless supplied from an outside source : xvould you be agreeable to see xvhat was required? —If you xvill give the Department a copy of the list x\-e xvill be very glad to go into the matter and see what can be done. The Department only wants a reasonable thing, and is always prepared to do the reasDnable thing itself. Andrexv Graham further examined. (No. 27.) 1. The Chairman.] I understand you xvill now deal with clause 16 of the petition on behalf of the institute? —Yes. The clause reads, "16. That Regulation 47 provides that xvhen members are transferred to meet the exigencies of the Department the maximum period for which personal