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The New Zealand Railways Magazine, Volume 1, Issue 2 (June, 1926)

Relations Between the Railway Board and Staff

page 28

Relations Between the Railway Board and Staff

For over a decade “Backblock” was one of the unfortunate members of the Railway staff, whose duty compelled him to be located in the Main Trunk District of the North Island. There was little in the way of regular commercialised forms of amusements, no Fullers or J.C.W. theatres, no ferry boats, no Lyall Bays or New Brightons. Whatever outdoor enjoyment the Railway employees, or other residents of these isolated parts obtained, was due to co-operation amongst themselves.

It was necessary, therefore, to combine together and form Railway Football Clubs, Railway Euchre parties, Railway dances, and Railway picnics in the summer time.

In the Main Trunk there was no harbour or rivers means of conveyance, and the country was too rough for vehicular traffic; the vehicles not numerous enough to transport the Railway men's families and friends to a suitable picnic resort. For several years both by deputation and by memorandum application was made to the successive General Managers, the late Mr. T. Ronayne, Mr. E. H. Hiley and lastly to Mr. R. W. McVilly, for the Department to supply a train for the purpose of conveying members attending a Railway picnic to a suitable resort. In every case the services of enginedriver, fireman, guards, and all other staff necessary, were offered free and the General Manager was informed accordingly.

For years the same stereotyped reply was given that it was regretted a train could not be granted on Sunday, and, that, if one section of the Railway, however isolated, were granted the privilege, other sections would expect the same. After refusal for several years in succession the project was given up in disgust; the staff nursed a grievance and later other means of conveyance were resorted to.

The point I am driving at is the debt of gratitude the members of all sections of the staff in various parts of the Dominion owe to the present Board of Control in the generous manner in which they have this year treated the staff in the matter of train facilities for Annual Picnics. The Board readily looked on both sides of the picture. They saw the staff point of view as well as the Management point. They realised the Railway runnings are differently situated to the general workers.

The Railwayman engaged in Traffic running is working when the public enjoy themselves in sport, and when the public is sleeping. Sunday is the only day of the week when practically all members of the Railway service in any one locality can meet together for sport and enjoyment. Sunday trains enable members within fifty miles to meet together.

To those in the fight for several years to get the Department to run Sunday Picnic trains, the action of the present Railway Board indicates a spirit of thoughtfulness for all members of the staff, and their intention in the future to do all in their power consistent with their duty to the public who own the Railways, to obtain the goodwill of the staff.

The greatest asset a big corporation or firm can obtain, the best workshop appliances, the best rolling stock, and the best track, cannot do as much to bring the best results as the goodwill of the staff to the management. The management that secures this has also loyalty to its interests which induces efficiency, industry and the consideration of all ways and means to improve the financial standing of the business—which, in the case referred to, is the New Zealand Railways.

The enhanced financial success of the business reacts to the benefit of the staff, and the staff under considerate management is enabled to share in the prosperity of the business.

Co-Workers In Industry.

Addressing the Members of the Society of British Gas Industries, Sir Alfred Mond, the President, said that those who were engaged in industry would have to carry into practice the general principles of a new psychology in regard to industrial affairs.

This new psychology would follow from a realisation of the change which was bound to come in the relationship of those engaged in industry in every capacity. Sir Alfred declared that they were still burdened with the phraseology of a definite epoch. They still read about “masters and men” and about employers and employed, whereas they all knew that they were all “employed.”

Practically all industrial concerns to-day were run by Boards of Directors who were just as much employed as the men who were shovelling coal.

The old phraseology must go—it had no longer any meaning; the true phrase to-day was “co-workers in industry.” They were co-workers in different capacities, but all dependent for their remuneration or reward upon the prosperity of the industry. They must have a new psychology and a new phraseology, Sir Alfred insisted, and then they could look forward to an era of moral and economic success in industry far greater than they had yet experienced.

page 29

Railway Employees' New Housing Scheme
Standardised Types of Buildings

The Railway Department has acquired a site of 30acres on the Paul estate at Wanganui East, adjoing the Wanganui Agricultural Association's new showground, and it has been decided t immediately erect forty houses for the benefit of employees in Wanganui.

All of the houses are factory cut at Frankton and will be railed for carting to the site and assembling. The scheme is working satisfactorily. Good materials are used, and although the cottages are all of five rooms with plain wooden exteriors the affront to town planning often offered in such ases by a monotonous sameness in rows of buildings will here be avoided. A variety in architecture will be afforded by four different types of roofs—all of iron, but with the gables facing in different directions. The porches in front of the houses also differ in type, and the settlement bids fair to assume more the character of a neat suburb than that of an industrial residential block.

Each house has three bedrooms, one 10 ft. 6 in. by 11 ft. and two 8 ft. 4 in. by 11 ft. Then there is a sitting room 12 ft. by 14 ft. 6 in. and a kitchen 13 ft. by 16 ft. The wash-house, scullery and bathroom are all under the one roof, conveniently designed, and adequate provision has been made for interior fittings such as cupboards. The rental to the railway employees will be on the usual plan—one day's pay per week, whatever a man earns. Hot and cold water services and electric light will be installed.

Arrangements have been made with the Wanganui City Council to have the property roaded, and all the city facilities will be provided. Roading will use up a considerable part of the area that has been secured, and the sections will be about a quarter of an acre each in extent.

The Departmental proposals are being viewed with great interest by local railway employees as at the present time some of them (says the “Wanganui Herald”) are paying considerably more than a day's wages for a week's rent.

New use for Radio.

Mr. George Allen, radio expert, who was killed recently, was engaged in developing radio safety systems for railways. He had devised a method whereby the high frequency current replaced the whistle as a means of signalling from the front engine to the assisting engine on the rear of long trains.

The Value of Graphs

In view of the recent decision of the Department to have its own Statistician it is interesting to note that Robert Riegel in his “Elements of Business Statistics,” gives the following list of services performed by graphs, the preparation of which will lie specially within the province of the newly created position.

  • 1.—Graphs make a quick and lasting impression on the reader. To most persons figures are very uninteresting reading, and the graphic method, by an instantaneous visual impression of the salient facts and relations, relieves the tediousness of numerical discussion.

  • 2.—Many persons are unable to remember figures sufficiently to make the necessary comparisons, and to others the comparisons do not suggest themselves. The graphic method makes comparisons almost self-evident.

  • 3.—The graphic method furnishes means of bringing together related facts which otherwise would not be perceived. The investigator himself must often acknowledge that the graphic representation has supplied him with suggestions of magnitudes, rates of increase and relations not suggested by the figures themselves.

  • 4.—The graphic representation of facts often suggests hypotheses which may be further investigated. Thus a similarity of two curves to a third may suggest that a causal relation exists, or the nature of a curve may indicate irregularities due to inadequate sampling.

  • 5.—Graphs may be employed for purposes of calculation. Thus we see that the angle made by a straight line with the base line indicates the ratio of variation and that the mode and median of a distribution may be located graphically.

  • 6.—Graphs are utilised for the purpose of saving the time of executives in analysing statistics of business. Instead of being compelled to pore over a considerable mass of figures in order to obtain the significant facts, the important parts of the information are presented to the executive in a convenient and suggestive form.

What is defeat? Nothing but education; nothing but the first step to something better.—Wendell Phillips.

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No gain is so certain as that which proceeds from the economical use of what you have.—From the Latin.