THE RAILWAY SERVICE

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 299, 13 September 1919, Page 3

THE RAILWAY SERVICE

TRIBUTE FROM THE HON. W. H. HERRIES. On relinquishing the office of Minister of Railways, the Hon. AW H. Herries addressed the following letter to Mr. R. W. M'Vfflly, General i Manager'of Railways :— 1 • "On relinquishing my office as Minister of Railways, J. feel that i must-express both to you and to your predecessors in office, Messrs. Ililej' and Ronayne, my sincere thanks for the assistance that has always been rendered to me during the anxioui, times which, wo have possed through during the seven years in which I have held office. I also desire, through you, to extend my cordial thanks to all the higher officials and heads of Departments who have given me personally, and the Governments I have had the honour to bcCong to, such loyal and splendid service. I wish al;o, through you, to sincerely thank a6l the members of the Railway Service for their loyal nnd patriotic services to tho Dominion, especially during 'the war. No body of men has, I am sure, worked more patriotically and disinterestedly during that period than has the railwaymen of the New Zealand Railways, and I desire to express tl\o gi'atitude of tho Government for the spiendjd services rendered by all, from tiie highest to tho lowest. I fed sure that wlien the history of-the war comes to be 'written the efforts of the Railway Department will) be found to have contributed iargely to the magnificent response to the call of the Empire made by New Zealand.

"Aa you know, the policy of tho Department had to be reorganised—traditions had to be thrown to tho winds, pence ideas had to be abandoned, nnd war conditions adopted. The first duty was tq release aa many men .as possible for the front. Seven thousand fivo hundred and twenty-nine.men altogether were released, and out of that number four hundred and forty-four laid down their lives. To enable the men to bo-released, all nonessential traffic had to bo suspended. Inconvenience was necessarily fett by. the public, I)iit the Empire's demand's for men had to take first place. Everything had to givo way to this and to other war requirements, and the response of the Department- was splendid. AH demands made by the Defence Department for transport of troops nnd supplies wero met promptly, and to tho ontiro satisfaction of that Department. Imperial supplies had to take preference of other goods, and in no case was any ship kept waiting for its cargo through tho. fault' of the Railway Department. Subject to 'war requirements, the best service that could be given to the publio was given, and aQ essential services were continued.

"Notwithstanding tho suspension of non-essiintial trpfflc to relense men, tho fuinnciav result's of tho 'Departments operations during;the five years of tho war liavo been highly satisfactory, and will 'bear more than favourable comparison with tliß results of nny of tho 'Australian States' systems of railways. Rates of Interest of 3i por cent., percent., 5J per cent., per cent., and per cent, nave been earned throughout the -war l'ears, and the thanks of tho Government aib certainly duo to the Department for their successful finance, notwithstanding the naymofit of substantial bonuses to tho employees and tho increased cost of all materials.

■ "I should !iko especially to thank, through you, those officers who wore connected with tho coal snnpSy for tho rail-' ways. Thoir responsibilities wero cased by tho fncfc that at an early stage ox tlio war tie duty of supplying coal to the Railways, as well as oilier industries, was taken over by the Munitions and Supplies Department in procuring shipping and cargo, and it ia largely duo to thoir efforts that the coal supply, in face of great difficulties, was maintained so long. Unfortunately, oircumstojiccs aroso which couCd not have boon foreseen either by the Munitions Department or by tho officers of the Railway Department, and hence the present temporary difficulty. "In ooncElusion, I desire to especially thank, through you, the officers and. oxccu tives of tho threo Railway Societies for the uniform courtesy I have received at their hnnds, and for tho temperate and excellent way in which they have placed the opinions of those they represent before tho managomont."