OUR RAILWAYS.

Franklin Times, Volume 9, Issue 657, 9 August 1921, Page 4

OUR RAILWAYS.

The curse of political control in railway matters is reaching a stage in the Dominion where it is becomingunbearable. Tire New Zealand railways in the hands of a private Company would alt least run trains where there was support for them and stop expresses, not at obscure tourist stations but at towns where public convenience demonstrated the wisdom of so doing. The railways of New Zealand will always be inefficient and expensive as long as fthey are kept as a pawn in the political game.. If a referendum of the general public was taken to-morrow to decide whether the Government still control the railways or that they be handed over to a private concern—ithe private concern would win. The public is, as a mass, disgusted and heartily sick of the inefficient manner in which its railways are conducted. The traffic managers fail to understand the needs of the people they are supposed to serve. They are autocrats and there is no appeal from their decisions.-, In another column will be noticed an article showing how the railways treat the children attending the Technical High School. Probably when the deputation meets the local Czar of The line at Auckland, they will be curtly told that the school train does not pay and will' be told that nothing can be done. And yet even traffic managers are kept in their jobs by the public. Still, surely somehow, some day business sense will penetrate the maze of officialdom which surrounds our railway service and the railways will then be run cm up-to-date lines.