THE RAILWAYS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 439, 23 February 1909, Page 6

THE RAILWAYS.

Since wo have lately been calling attcntion''.to the various statements of the Hon. J. A. Millar respecting the new railways policy, wo are bound to tako some notice of his latest pronouncement on the_ subject, which he delivered at the gathering so properly arranged in his honour in Duncdin last Friday night. When, in replying to a deputation in this city last'.month, Me. Millar made his first official declaration of policy, we warmly welcomed his assurances that tho railways ought,.to pay, and must pay, and that they should not be a burden on the general taxpayer through tho Consolidated Eund. Some days later wo were astonished to learn that tho Minister, speaking in Auckland, had not only defended the "3 per cent, policy" of his predecessor, but had explained his own policy as aiming , at obtaining a return of 3i per cent.-, in order to pay tho extra i per cent, which, he said, monoy was now costing as compared with the price when the 3 per cent, policy was in vogue. Mr. Millau put his views in such a, shape that tho only meaning deducible from'them was that the 3 per cent, policy was to continue, with an extra $ per cent, to meet an extra i per cent, of expenditure in tho shape- of interest. This was so marked a change from his earlier declaration that the railways must pay their way—which would require a "net profit' , on working of at least 3j per cent.—that it appeared to us that the Minister was wobbling rathor badly. Nor did he dispel this suspicion by a still later statement, in which he said that there would bd no reduction of fares or freights in any direction at all, and that faros wore not merely low enough already, but too low. Tho Minister's statement clearly held the meaning that' he was looking rather to higher revenue! than to economy in expenditure to make j ends meet.

•In these circumstance's it is impossible to welcome without reserve- the Minister's statement, on ■ Friday night, definite as are itatorms, and sound and statesmanlike its general drift. "The lines upon which-ho intended to go," so ■ he is reported to have said, "were to make tho railways pay .their own 'way, and he hoped to be able to do'that without increasing the -present rates and without reducing the wages." Ho went on to appeal to' the: railway men. to assist ;'.him loyally, and he foreshadowed a reduction of handß; "II tho t Jrao. coine, and it appoareijto fiim that he had inevitably, to

veduco the hands.it would behis duty to "do so, no matter Tiow painful that duty might bo." That statement, and his fur-' thDr undertaking to ■.'reduce unprofitable running schedules, place a much .better coinploxion on his hint at the'possibility of an increase in the railway. charges, since it names increased rates: as a last resource. ' We are quite surV that it is a weapon that will not be required if the Minister faithfully carries out his..good intentions with regard to. expenditure, without regard to tho political necessities of the Liberal party. 'Wo observe that our ovening contemporary' has!'seen fit to misrepresent tho terms, and the object of our. recent dissatisfaction.'with• the" Minister's statement in. Auckland., It is imputed to us that our "captious criticism," which tends to ■'"hinder" ihe Minister, is. without justification, and proceeds from our failure to ."subordinate 1 party interests to, those .• of . the;. State.-'?: We fail utterly to, see ; how the. Minister' can be hindered in, his reforms' by a criticism the whole tenor of which was of warning to him to stand fast to. the policy which he proclaimed last month, and which we .have in the past. been assisted in.advocating by ?our unstable con.temporary itself., It is to be feared-that our contemporary, which tho other day condemned as being "bo exaggerated as to. be' positively ludicrous" a statement by Mr. Massey, which it. mado itself in different words but with .. even greater emphasis during.the election campaign, is-inclined'to "wobble" as well as Me. MILLAH. . For we now; find complacent' approval, of the .34 per; cent... policy, in the same- columns as quite', lately contained; utter condemnation of the. wickedness of losing a penny on the railways.; In one sentence of our critic's article,'it is'implied', that we have required rates tp;:be immediately..' reduced. : It' is sufficient to say that, we' have ; never made any suggestion of: the. kind at all. In wo have only to say that it is to be ; hoped that Me...,Millae, who evidently, .intends , ,;to keep affairs in his,own' , hands, , .will.stand :firm'by-his. If ;he;does'f so, r he can'count on the support of every real 'friend'of the country. ■'~-'-'l'^yrv.: . [.-■}■'■