THE NATIONAL GOVERNMENT AND THE RAILWAYS

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 126, 14 February 1918, Page 6

THE NATIONAL GOVERNMENT AND THE RAILWAYS

Sir,-I read with humiliation the general slobber over the virtues of the National Government in your is3 "o 'oi this morning. 1 have no desire to bo in any way ungenerous, but really, in. face of the" actual facts, your eulogy ia. too absurd.

Just let us consider the railway ques* (ion. Is it not a fact that when il» Defence Department intimated that raiw waymen would have to go to the war they were peremptorily informed that if that; was done the Department would have no option but to cut down the service drastically? As soon as it was known that tho men had to go trains wero cut out right and left. ' .Suburban trains, race trains,, excursions, and specials, and as the men did not have to; go' at once they were simply failing ovctt each other in the service, many an Upper Hutt'train having as many as foar guards. This absurd position has existed) for months, but it is only the other day (f wonder if the approach of Hie election; had anything lo do with in the Department found out that it could reinstate a, few train's, and they are to be put oil. Fancy the absurdity ot all these mouths. People living in the suburbs herded together in motor trucks for the long and uncomfortable ride to Petone and Lower Htttt, to say nothing of Hit- wear and tear on the roads, waste of tyres, petrol, etc.. bought in America,, and taking \\p valuable shipping space. All tho highlyprofitable trains cut out, and the revenue knocked endways. Then, to remedy this, up go the freights and fares, increasing the cost of living to the general public. Could anything bo more asinine. If ever there was an argument against State control of anything, surely these facts supply it. Suppose the railways wero run by private enterprise, would shareholders stand (his sort of thing? Not for a moment. Instead of tho Department being told to do as everybody else has done, make tho best of it, get in whatever extra labour you can get hold Of, and carry on, the Ministry have done nothing, and the public is gulled'into tho belief that the curtailment is'necessary. Sir, if it were necessary my voice.; would be the last one raised against it.-' Tint we all know now it wasn't necessary. The railways in England are using female labour very largely. I haven't | seon a girl here, even in a ticket office. I Now, what is behind it all ? Take tho j race trains. -These were knocked off I primarily as a sop •to tho goody-goody party, from whom Mr. llnssey expects toj get his support at the next election, but i meantime we are asked to accept Mr. i Luke. My answer is "Never," and I liopo i all lovers of freedom will say the same. ' We are not going to get any improvement from a man of Mr. Luke's capacity, and • the Government will have to be told it at this Wellington North election. It !ia evidently tho only way. I know we will get the usual answer—coal scarce, etc., etc. Why is coal scarce? Because of the jeily-backed gentlemen sent to tho Coast to palaver with a handful of Bed Peds, who ought to have been shown | their duty and forced to do it. The Wellington North electors have to chooso j between Mr. Brandon, a capable audi fearless critic, and Mr. Luke, a colourless gentleman, for whom even bis best friends cannot claim capacity of any sort" Look at the milk muddle. What has the city lost over that, the only serious municipal movement Mr. Luke has attempted to handle, and what a mess he made of it? And we are asked to put this muddle into tho larger field of politics, where millions are being voted and spent-millions of the people's hard-earn-ed savings. Is it decent of Mr. Massey to ask us to do it? Tt cannot be patriotic to refuse a man of ability for a man of less ability, purely Electors of Wellington North, don't be led away by Yori Raasts or do Barclays, use your common dog sense, and let Mr. Luke rnmain with his soldiers' jollies and tea parties. Fo is in bis element, why disturb h.im?-I am, etc., ELECTOIi.

TAn official statement in reply to tho suggestion that Railway Department cut trains unnecessarily was made last night, as follows;— When tho Imperial Government informed the New Zealand Government that men were rnquired more than anything' else, the New Zealand Government dc cided that the Railway Department must release as ninny men for the Army as it possibly could. The Department had already released a very large number of men under the voluntary system. No check had been placed unon. enlistments from the railway service before the later ' months of 1916,' when the Military Service Act was coming into oneration. The Department felt impelled then to ask for the exemntion of a considerable number of men who had been drawn in the ballot, (he busy season was approaching. Wc stated nt tho time tlui<- after the busy sea-on the policy of releasing men who could be spared would be continued.

It was at tins point that the Government decided, as n matter of poljcv. that the train service should he curtailed, in order to render possible the release of ;i .larger number of railwavnicn for military service... It, was estimated thatjiy cutting out our evening trains and reihiein? services in other directions, we could 'release from SOA to IWW men, and the Government considered that this was worth "doing. The services were cut. and the men wee placed' at the disposal of the Defence Department. They were to be taken in drafts month by month, but if was not possible to cut down tho sen-ices <™in by train a? the men w-~ tnken, The.new time-table had to be l)as"d unor> the maximum requirement of the [Defence Department. _ There are some considerations in this connection that may require to be explained. A railway time-table covers tho whole Dominion, and its parts interlock and are interdependent. An apparently email change may be far-reaching in its effect, and it would not be practicable to make a cut bv instalments, as men happened to be taken info the Army. Then the men were selected by ballot, and the. ballot.did not always preserve a balanco as between districts, '"hero might he a heavy call on the Auckland section, while surplus men were left in the Wellington section. The man-savin? time-table had to provide for the maximum call on the Departments manpower. .' . , The cut was made and the promised men were placed at the disposal ot tho Defence Department. They were not taken as quickly as we had anticipated, owing to delays in the medical examination and other difficulties for which neither the Kailway Department nor the Defence Department could be blameu. But the man had to remain at (lie call of the Defence Department, and tho tact that they were temporarily with the Kailway Department did not justify any modification of the new time-table. Tho Kailway Department did not hold them back in anv way. It had no interest in retaining upon its pay roll men who could be spared. The men are ah gone now. and the Department, as a matter of fact, has done even more than it promised. It has released about lfiOO men for military service since the reduced lime-table came into operation. Cabinet has decided now, as a matter of policy, that the train services are to be increased in some'directions. In order to make this possible the Department has been authorised to retain from 100 to 120 fit First Division men who otherwise would have been taken into camp within the next month or two. H'.e: last of the Railway Departments fit J'lrsn Division men (except the 100 to 120 men mentioned) will enter ramp in March and April. We have been taking or. ncv. men, training men in new positions and co forth, and this seems to be the iwsis of one of (he charts l.rm.eh against the Department. It i« flated. that suburban trains have oarr,cd as ™"> ;'} four »nnvds each. If thev did. it nnnW J,e because no* men were bciiie trninw wntlpp experienced ...on. Apart f oin tho Mention of fit hal oted men (he * crease in the services lins *« ™ rt ° possible by the reduction in the mo '' n reinforcement quota. This Miction reduces the drain on the m«n-P OT , cr °5 \Z service tHt wo have to exi.ect a«d Jvil X: 'IV Department, it .-my added, is acting now in accordance nit the policy of the fiovornmen . " did when it bron-h.t down the reduced, man-saving time-table.]