RAILWAY PROBLEMS.

Franklin Times, Volume 9, Issue 675, 14 October 1921, Page 7

RAILWAY PROBLEMS.

“SERIOUS DIFFICULTIES AHEAD”

At a gathering at Wellington in honour of Mr J. Young by members of the Railway Officers’ Institute, references were made to the fal!ing-olf in the net earnings of the railways, and the possible or probable future railway policy. Mr R!, W. McVilly, general manager of railways, in responding to the toast of “The Management,” said that the management at the present time seemed to be getting more rocks than bouquets thrown at it, and the Railways were now face to face with the most difficult period of their history.' in consequence of five or six years of heavy expenditure, and the curtailment of the spending power of the public. When they reached a situation, like that, people at once commenced to abuse the management, and this was the experience everywhere. When rates and fares were reduced /to less than they should have

been, the managemerit was given no credit. What would the country have been had it not been for the railways, and to whom was the credit due for the achievements that had been brought about ? It was due to the men who carried on the railways. When Mr Hiley had been appointed general manager he had expected to find the railways in New Zealand a sort of glorified tramway ; but he had found a big railway system, well organised and maintained, and Mr Hiley had placed that fact on record. The management had been trying to carry on in accordance with the traditions of the past; bu;t what credit had they got for it ? Did they get any credit for obtaining coal supplies when no one was able to get coal, and 'without which the railways would have been brought to a standstill ? When the railways were short of coal the management was blamed, and now it was being said that ]they had too big a supply. It was. not anything new to him to be abused; he had lived long enough, and had been long enough in the railway service to take hard knocks—-and to give them back, A/t the present time the railway expenditure exceeded the revenue, and this was the first time that the New Zealand railways had had to din into the Consolidated Fund.

Mr McArley: Bu/t things are im23roving.

Mr McVilly said that he was not optimistic, and when they iiad leached a stage such as he had explained, the aspect was serious, and the question was how long it could continue. There were clouds in the sky—very serious difficulties were >ahead. Tire management always tried to meet the railway societies in the spirit that Mr Young had referred to ; but they were on one side of the fence and he was on lire other, and he had got to do what was for the country. Therefore, they could realise that his difficulties were as great as those of the gentlemen the societies sent along to interview him from /time to t me. .He was sorry when ne had to say “No,” and it was a pleasure to lnm to be able to say "Yes,” but he did not shirk saying “No” when he .thought it was his duty to do so.