The Railway "Cut."

Hokitika Guardian, 10 December 1921, Page 1

The Railway "Cut."

DERART.M ENT ATTACKED. ('I IK I STC'I I ÜBCII. Dec. S Di.s.-u.-sing the curtailment in the railway service, the president of the I aiuerhury Progress League (Mr A. G. I lendersou) said last evening that the Railway Department did not go out after business as private firms did. h it .'.ere in competition with other inilwiv companies, it would "tout” for business, as ilie companies did at Home, by showing how it was more piofitablc to carry cargo liv rail than bv motor ami so on. Tlicie wore two courses open to the Railway Department at a time like (his--to cut down expenses and to go out and ect imirt icvcniic. A u iso business adon'ed a impure ol the tun. The Railway Deparln.enl 'lid mulling to atiiai I people to holiday results. No wonder its revenue fell off! The league would have to keep its mail services going, and credit was due to the mailmen for their woik. They had shown a line spirit of patriotism. Mi A. E. Wright said that the railwavs were mu mu as a business proposition. If the Government would nul inn them, they should he sold and run like the Bank of New Zealand. With a similar dirortnrnte to the Bank ol New Zealand, an attempt would he made to establish motor tenders to the railways, and the services would he popularised. It was a confession of utter ineptitude to admit that the Government was losing thousands of pounds a day on the railways. The remedy was to hand the railways over to business men to he mu in the interests ol the business community. Mr W. M. Tyets said that for some time the Chamber of Commerce had been urging that the railways should he managed b\ a hoard responsible to I’m liament. Mr \\ . E. I.eadley said that the htlsi-nc.-s was in the country tor the rail- | wa\s. Inti as long a-, then* was political rotund improvement could not be Imped for. It was im|R'iativc in the meantime that the league s mail srlt ices should l>c continued. Mr 11. .1. Knight said that political control of the inilwas- was a mistake. Thai had been proved in England. It was decided to continue the |.'.'i..lie’s mail sci \ ices.