THE RAILWAYS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1587, 2 November 1912, Page 6

THE RAILWAYS.

THE NEW CONTROL PROPOSAL, j BILLPASSBD. . During the evening sitting of the Legislative Council, '.■ The Hon. H. D." BELL moved the second wading of the Government Eailwnys Amendmont Bill. He explained that the' measure enabled effect to De given to' promises of the Ministry.and of ,the' past' Government. Ho mentioned that the increase in wages to railway servants would total .£83,000. The HoriV J. BAEE said that masons and bricklayers',wages were set:dbwn.in the Bill at Us. per/day and he.'thought it:unwise for the Government'not.ta conform to the ruling rate of pay. .He understood that-the intention of the Government was to adveTtiso abroad for a general manager and import, him to this country. He disagreed with the. proposal. He held that as good men for the position were obtainable within Zealand as outside it. The conditions in England were different to those in New Zealand, and a' man coming here to look'after the' railways would have to learn, the strange conditions. . The Hon. J. T. PAUL regretted that the Government had not p.ut the first division of the Eailway Service on the same ■ footing as the Post and- Telegraph' officers.' Good service would not be got from men Who were not adequately recompensed. He' hoped the Government would remedy this. Ho endorsed Mr Barr's poiht as to the schedule of pay, saying that he was.against the proposition that the Government should put into its schedule a figure lower than that fixed by the Arbitration Court. % On the subject of tho proposed new general managership he hoped that the Government would sefl what likely-;men were available in New Zealand' before going abroad.. It said little for New Zealand's system if: there was no man who could fill the position. Further, he did- not think that one-nian-management Would be' the best possible, and he considered that thero should be a board of management on which the workers should'have direct representation. NeW Zealand should take heed from Victoria 'where something on the lines proposed had proved a failure. The Hon. J. EIGG expressed the opinion thattheto were'man in the New Zealand Service who could manage tho railways. The importation of experts from abroad would result in the exportation of experts from . within. . . I A Councillor-. It has done so alreadv. The Hon. W. BEEHAN thought it. a pity that "wo should so belittle ourselves and our country" as to say that'the cciin--try had no man, fit to manage the railways. -HS hoped that the Government would yet allow local men to apply for tho 'position. There were men in the New Zealand/railway service fit. to manage it, and it was a shame to. go outside the Dominion for tho officer sought, '• Tho Hon. C. M. LUKE expressed a belief that there.were,yoiing men in New Zealand fully qualified to manage tho rnilwoys, and he hoped the. Government would pause to take that into consideration. ■ He Was not.sure, that a board of control would not bo tho'best.system ort which to manage the railways. After a brief reply by the Hbli. Mr. 8011, the 'Bill wis.* f ted -a weontl tini? OS.the wices. Mr. Bull «id .itta*. fl.il

manager would bo odvertiflod for ahroad, hut tho Minister would not ignore tho fact tliitt n. stiitablo man might bo obtainable locally. Subsequently the Bill was pnssod through all its stages without amendment. OTHER DILLS, The Nativo Affairs Committco rccom-' mended that l.lio Native Lands Amend* mont Bill should bo allowed to proceed/ Tho commitment, of tho Bill was made an order of tho day for Monday. Tho following Bills wero passed through tlieir final .stages:—Kniapoi Reserves Bill, riinst Coast Nativo Trust lands Amendment Bill, Public Kovonucs Amendment Bill, and Savings Bank' Amendment Bill. At 11.30' p.m. tlio Counoil adjourned till 11 a.m. on Monday.