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 company to keep a man twenty or thirty years as a fireman without promoting him.

Sir Thomas Williams: Since the eight hour day was introduced the Midland Railway Company have promoted 1,065 firemen to be drivers.

Witness: There are many working 12 and 13 hours at a stretch at Leicester. That is not an eight hour day. No inducement is offered for old drivers to retire. Sufficient steps have not, in my opinion, been taken to introduce the eight hour day generally. I know a driver who is seventy-three years of age.

Charles Jarman, a driver on the London & South Western Railway at Exeter, said he had been 36 years in the Company's service and 22 years as a driver. They had purchased premises at Exeter for £700 for the purpose of improvement classes and lectures, in order to make efficient drivers.

The men had voluntarily taken upon themselves this responsibility, and the classes and lectures were regularly attended by the men, with benefit to the Company and themselves, which was doubly essential these days, when the strain on the engines was increased, and they had to deal with an inferior quality of coal.

Mr. Thomas Do you think that if the workers were properly remunerated they would become the loyal and contented body of men they formerly were, and that this would make for efficiency?— Most decidedly.

Mr. Squance: Would it be correct to say that when you are in charge of a train, apart from the human lives in your care, you are in charge of property to the value of £50,000?—Yes.

And you are performing that duty and bearing that responsibility for a remuneration which works out at 1s. 10d, an hour?—That is so.

Mr. David Humphreys, of Mexborough, a Great Central Railway driver, said that much of the dissatisfaction among the men was due to the existence of so many scales of payment, covering a large number of years. He suggested a flat rate as a remedy.

The case for the employers was then opened.