RAILWAY REFORM.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1729, 21 April 1913, Page 6

RAILWAY REFORM.

Even the most bitter of the Masses Government's critics must at least give the Government credit for carrying out its pledges. Since it came into office less than a year ago it has amongst other things afforded evidence of the sincerity of its professions in respect of the freehold; it has removed the Civil Service from the demoralising influence of political control; it promptly sought to give effect to its pledge to reform the Legislative Council from a nominative into an elective Chamber; and nowMt has fulfilled its promise to place the railways of the country under the charge of a manager of high standing in his profession, and qualified by experience to handle this great national undertaking to the best advantage. The gentleman appointed to the position, Mr. E. H. Hiley, Divisional Goods Manager of the North-Eastern Railway, England, will come with high credentials, and there is reason to believe that the Government has been fortunate in its choice. The com-, pany with which Mb. Hiley has been associated, in various capacitics is a very large and important one, its capital of £80,000,000, representing more than double the expenditure which has been incurred on our own railways and in some particulars the physical configuration of the country worked by the North-Eastern system is not unlike New Zealand. Me. Hiley is a comparatively young man, and the : fact that he, has progressed very rapidly in his profession is a hopeful evidence of his capacity and judgment. Ho will have at least one important advantage over his recent predecessors in New Zealand. He will come to the country untrammelled by local prejudices and prcconccived _ notions arising largely out of the political influences which have interfered with the running of our railways on sound commercial lines. There can be no doubt that political considerations have in the past hampered the working of the railways to the best advantage by the responsible _ officers of the Department, and it is not surprising if some of these officers have in course of time, become unconsciously imbued with soine_ of the unsound ideas of their political chiefs. Given a freer hand they might have produced better results, and our railways might have been less open to the criticism which has been so freely levelled at them in recent years. But whether, or not that is the case it was quite time that this large national undertaking was placed on a more satisfactory footing, and 'the, Massey Government lias, we believe, acted wisely in the step now taken.