Obituary

The death in Wellington recently of Mr. W. J. Edwards, first General Secretary of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants, removes a notable figure from our Railway life, and recalls the eventful times associated with the early history of the Society. The late Mr. Edwards was Stationmaster at Tuakau (in the Auckland district) in 1888, when a number of railwaymen decided to form a Trades Union. Demands for the establishment of branches in other districts followed, and Mr. Edwards was induced to resign from the railway service and organise the movement on a national scale. This he did with conspicuous success, branches being established in six centres, with a total membership of 3,100, within one year of the assumption of his new office. The first National Conference of the A.S.R.S. was held in Christchurch, in March, 1890, at which Mr. Edwards was appointed National Secretary. He subsequently established The Railway Review, the monthly journal of the A.S.R.S., and was its editor for many years. The fact that the A.S.R.S. is, to-day, one of the most prosperous and influential organisations in New Zealand is due largely to the able leadership and devoted services of the late Mr. Edwards. Mr. Edwards relinquished the General Secretaryship of the Society in 1908 (being succeeded by Mr. M. J. Mack), rejoined the service, and, for the last few years of his life was employed in the Chief Accountant's Branch of the Railways in Wellington.

The deceased, who leaves a widow and several children, was seventy-three years of age.

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