RAILWAY POLICY.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 416, 27 January 1909, Page 7

RAILWAY POLICY.

STATEMENT BY THE MINISTER. ."THE RAILWAYS OUGHT TO PAY." ' - NOT PREPARED TO SACRIFICE REVENUE. In tho courso of his reply to a deputation , of sawnnllera' yesterday, tho new Minister for • RaiJjyayß (Hon/ J. A; Millar) mado an im--portant statement of , policy, > amounting to a repudiation of the theories which Sir Joseph Ward has put forward when defending tlio •losses of the system. ■ ••Tho railways , (said Mr, Miliar) ought to pajy.and-he was not in a position to sacrifice ; any revenue. If there were- any anomalies, , ■ or if anything was going wrong, it was the ■ duty of the; Government tp give redress as • far-, as-possible, hut they could not bring down the freight on timber to a figuro that : would bo' absolutely unremunej-ative. Tho recent concessions on timber meant a redugition ofv £15,000 ; revenue per annum. - Freights wero now'lower than at any period iri the previous history of tho Dominion, and the cost.of the traffic to the Department was higher than ever. before.There was a limit ,- beyoiid'which they could not go. . s ■ ■ /'.'The railways must be mado to pay better . than-they have done," said tho Minister at a , later stage in his address. "I don't believe ■; ! the taxpayers ought to bo called upon to help *'.pay,;for thonvorKing of the railways, and I don't intend' to make,that the policy of the ■ .Itajhvay.Dcpartment, Tq .a certain extent it '. . is. right to iuako the country as a whole payi ; .for? the opening up of new districts, but I do .not intend to make it tho policy of tho De- . .partment to carry goods at a loss. I hope the ■House and the country, will support mo in ; ; tliis,'''l'do : not say tho railways must make; . a profit, but.l,say they ought to pay their ■ ojvn. expenses, and interest like any - other and, not be a charge on the. Con*: Bohdated Rovenuo." 1