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Hokitika Guardian, 21 November 1921, Page 2

AA’k notice that in his contribution to the Budget debate in tho nouse of Representatives, Air George Witty emphasised some of the points concerning railway management we attempted to make in those columns a. few weeks ago. The member for Kiccarton wanted to know what the Government had saved in expenditure by cutting out numbers ot trains and substituting a miserably poor service for a. comparatively good one. The only items be could think of himself were wear and tear and coal, and ho doubted if these would have amounted to nearly as much as the revenue the Government would have obtained- bad it continued the full service. Interest on the capital invested in tho railways, wages and all the overhead charges went on as usual, while the revenue declined with the discontinuance uf facilities for travelling. ‘'AA’ould it not have I wen better business,” Air Witty asked, ‘‘to have run the trains and endeavoured to increase the amount of travelling by the public? The present policy is driving traffic on to tlm roads and emptying the trains. The Railway Department lis suffering from red-tape methods, without initiative or enterprise, and one sometimes wonders whether it concerns itself at all about the public interests.” Of course Mr AA’itty received no reply to his inquiry. Had lie . done so, it probably would have been to the effect that tlio preparation of the return ho required would cost a great deal of money which could be put to better uses at the preslent time. Under that formula many a departmental blunder has been buried out of sight. Wo still believe, however, that the railway “cut” lias proved a very costly “saving” and that the ill effects of disorganising the service and driving traffic on to tlio roads will remain with ns for many years. AA’licn wo get tlio next railway returns w« may know more about the matter than we do at present, but meanwhile we have reports of a steady decline in the truffle and very little evidence of any material reduction in the expenditure.