WELLINGTON NOTES.

Hokitika Guardian, 13 August 1917, Page 1

WELLINGTON NOTES.

RAILWAYS. THE MINISTER AND HRS CRITICS. (Our Special Correspondent) WELLINGTON August. 10. 'l'lii' formal presentation of Uie Railway (lolling Stock’s Commission’s report in tlio House yesterday afternoon provided a lively little interlude i'

in which the lncmlier for Hutt tlje'-mem-ber for Wanganui and the .Minister of Railways were tlu* principal actors.Mr. AYilford, whom tlm Minister 1 1 (ilds responsible for the sotting up ol tlie Commission atul for the very considerable expenditure it has entailed, strongly ivseiited the eriticisin that had been directed against him. He freely admitted -that the personnel ofthe C'omminission was all that could he desired and that its findings' were in keeping with the evidence, hut he alleged the Railway Department had spent six months in “cleaning up” before ut" invited the investigation.

“The charge was a year old,” he said, “when the viiqniry was undertaken, and many thousands ot pounds had boon spent in saving the dignity of high railway officials.” The ‘member, for Hutt accepted tlio word of the Min-ister'that-there’had been ;iio “cleaning up” but he stuck to Ids' contentionthat the waste of moiiey was not. excused by anything he had said.' ' STILL IN DOUBT. The member for Wanganui, speaking with practical knowledge and studied deliberation which always gives weight to his utterance in the House, expressed the firm conviction that all was not .veil with the management of railways. The whole purpose of the Commission, he said, had been to whitewash, the .Manager, who had been “strutting about the camps in a military uniform” while good men have been leaving the. service on account of their dissatisfaction , with their conditions.

But Mr. Vcitcli did not-think the money spent upon the Commission had been altogether wasted and he was glad to he able to offer this crumb of comfort to the taxpayers. The ininquiry had drawn attention to various defects in the system and Inn certain officer's to attend a little more closely to their duties. The Department had selected its own witnesses and very naturally hid called only those who could say “Yes” to every.affirmation of the excellence of its organisation and the fulness of its efficiency. THE MINISTER IN REPLY. - *j-. Merries replied to .the critics jot, his Department in the'in fist spirited speech lie ha s made in the House for many a long day ami obtained plenty of encouragement from his own sidi of the House as lie proceeded to reliuko Mr. tVilford and Air. Yeiteh for having put the country to a “quite,unneoossary expense,’’ At olio time, indeed, members seem-J ed to be divided on the old party lines, j save for the amity prevailing on the! Treasury benches, and interjections* and retorts were thrown from side to side in quite the. familiar style of former times. Rut' the principals in the little passage of arms preserved their habitual equanimity and the incident 1 closed without any demonstration of temper. The Minister's poi nt was that the “charges” made by Air. AYilford and Afr. Yeiteh bad justified the appointment of the Commission and that those gentlemen would have to take the blame for the expenditure. The members protested to the last, hut wore, like AL-. TTerrics, content to let the public he their judges in the matter. ’ 1 ELECTORAL BOUNDARIES. Air. R, AleCallmn took the oppor- ( : tunity afforded by tlio introduction of a Bill by Afr. Massey designed to give parliamentary representation to the 1 members of the Expeditionary Force to suggest to the Prime Afinister that the 1 South Island should retain its present 1 number of representatives iii the House 1 and that the North Island should he given an additional number in accord- ' mice with its increased population. This, practically was the plan followed bv Afr. Sodden when ho was faced

by a, similar problem after-the census of 1906, the not result being an in-

crease in the number of members from seventy to seventy-six and equality, in the representation of the two islands for a single Parliament. The precedent is not likely to be regarded as a very admirable one by a House which already contains a majority of eight North Island members and is looking forward to seeing the margin substantially increased in the next Parliament, hut Mr. ATassey has promised consideration-- to Air McCnllum’s suggestion and more will he heard of it before the -Boundaries Cd.mmssioijler's commence their work.