Early Rules and Regulations.

Rules and regulations for the servants employed on the Canterbury Railways were issued, prescribing the duties and regulating the conduct of each grade. The Executive Departments were two, viz., the General Traffic Department, and the Engineering Department. It was provided that the General Traffic Department would embrace all matters connected with the public traffic, whether passengers, parcels, mails, merchandise, live stock, shipping, warehousing, or other matters or things where the public duties of the Department and the collection of revenue are brought into operation. The conduct of persons employed, and the expenses, and all the arrangements of this Department were placed under the supervision of a Traffic Manager, who was responsible to the Superintendent of the Province for carrying out such orders and regulations as were issued for the government of those employed in this Department. The Engineering Department combined the construction and mechanical branches, and embraced the construction, maintenance, and charge of all works, including all matters connected with the building, repairing and working of steam engines (whether locomotive or stationary), the building and repairing of carriages, wagons and other running stock, and the fixed machinery, such asturntables, weighing machines, cranes, points and crossings and the manufacture and repair of all implements for the Stores Department. The Engineer, and such assistants under his direction as were considered requisite, were held responsible for the efficiency, proper management, competency and conduct of all platelayers and other persons and workmen employed in this Department.

The general conditions of service required that each man shall devote such time as may be required of him to the service of the Department, shall serve and reside where required, obey all orders of his superior officers, and shall not receive money without authority. His pay will always include his service during all such hours whether early or late, as the arrangements of the business or accidental circumstances may require. For incompetence, disobedience, or other misconduct he was subject to immediate dismissal or other punishment as provided by the Act. Inebriety was considered a grave offence, and the offender was liable to fine or imprisonment by the Magistrate in addition to dismissal. Among other general conditions employees were specially warned against rudeness or incivility, and forbidden to enter into any altercation whatever the provocation.

Persons receiving money had to find a security bond. Every guard was required to give security for the honest and faithful discharge of his duties to such amount as may be required.

Rules were included for the guidance of stationmasters, porters, guards, pointsmen, enginemen, platelayers, and gatemen, and general rules as to signals. Semaphore signals had three positions, viz., danger, caution and clear, showing respectively red, green, and white lights. A danger signal had to be shown for five minutes after a train had left, and then a caution signal for fifteen minutes—flag and arm signals by day and lights by night were also described. An obstruction on the line had to be protected on both sides by a red danger signal at a distance of half a mile.