THE RAILWAY COMISSIOHERSHIP

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 2176, 18 July 1889, Page 3

THE RAILWAY COMISSIOHERSHIP

The correspondence between the Government and the Agent-General relative to the appointment of a oblef railway commissioner hai been laid before Parliament. After long tearoh Sir F. D. Bell writes that he has given op all hope of beiug able to find for a salary of £3000 anyone coming np to bia ideal of what a OQUtf railway commissioner should be. He implies that Mr Eddy might possibly have been obtained had the £3000 been offered In time, for he was mapped op by New Sooth Wales on those terms. He adds that it was hardly possible that even a second rank man oould be obtained for £8000, bat that Mr Frank Ree w»b the beat man avalUble. Mr Bee's qualifications are then detailed, he be Id a; deputy manager at Liverpool, m charge of large gooda traffia, with levere competition, and being next on the North-western liat for promotion, having served 20 years on that line. Subsequently, however, Sir F. D. Bell telegrupba and writes that Me Ree has withdrawn hta otndidatore, an opening having offered for hU pvmnotlon on hir own railway, and Sir Frinoia expressly oayi :— " Mr Bee came to that deolalon In oonseqoenoe of his pending promotion and not ou Hcooont of the delay* m my being able to tell him whether he would be appointed by the Government." Mr Ftudlay, manager of the Nojrth western line, also writes regarding Mr Bee's withdrawal : — " He baa dove this after matare consideration as to his ohanoes with thia company and not from any delay In hearing definitely from yon." Finally the Agent-General, acknowledging the Intimation that Mr M'Kerrow has been appointed chief Oommlaaioner expreisea great^atlsf aotion, and jadda that he has no hesitation m saying that, with a single exception, be had never had the oaauoe of getting a man In England who oonld even approach Mr M'Kotrow m the combination of high qualities by which, the Railway Commiattonaishtp would now be made what it ooght to be for the colony. The coat of the tele grams on the eubjeot la stated to have been £144 18 i. It will be observed that the correspondence bears ont the statements made by the Government that the Agent-General's recommendation of Mr Bee was a " qaallfied one," and that Mr Bee's withdrawal was not doe •to delay on the part of the Government m dealing with the matter.