The Railway Commission

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 19957, 18 June 1930, Page 10

The Railway Commission

The order'Of Mffltenoe Railway Commission, published to-day, shows that 1 * its duties are to be more confined than the Prime Minister suggested, when he spoke of an investigation into " the whole position." This is in some ways an advantage. The Commission is W'ell qualified to investigate and report on the management of the railways as a going concern. If it recommends specific ways of spending less and earning more, the Government will have no excuse for ignoring its advice; but if the Commission were also to report on constructional policy, and if its findings were distasteful to the Government, which is committed to n good deal, of construction, they might, however sound, be evaded on the more or leas slim excuse that the Commission not sufficiently expert to decide such questions of policy. We may regret, therefore, that we are. not to hear the Commission's opinion on a highly important Question, which it is at least as fit as Parliament or as Cabinet to answer ; but the narrower investigation is the likelier to produce early, material results. The most important divisions of the enquiry are the first four—in substance only three—covering general organisation, passenger faros, and freight charges; and it itt to be hoped that the Commission will here not only fully search the facta but as fully as possible publish them with its conclusions. If it were to do no more than provide Parliament and people with a complete review of the Administrative and earning organisation of the Department, it would' be doing a most useful service. It would disperse much of the uncertainty that At present fop discussion of railway policy.' But of course it may do more. It may clearly indicate the possibility of Jorge economies, which railway officers have either overlooked orhave felt themselves debarred from urging; and it is to be hoped—and expected—that the Commission will match its

courage to its conviction. The possible discovery of economies greater even than sharp critics. of the Department have suggested could only bo very vaguely glanced at, if the head of another Department, during the last few days, had not drawn attention to his own helplessness to save money that he knows how to save. The Director of Education told the Council of Education that he could effect large administrative economies, if liis hands were not tied by the existence of "vested interests." This extraordinary and startling remark, which neither the Minister nor Mr Strong has explained, though explanation is obviously necessary, justifies at least the question whether the public departments are not a little too private, and the demand that the Commission will not hesitate to tell the public all that, in the public interest, should be known, no matter what the offence to " vested " interests."