WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Hokitika Guardian, 8 February 1922, Page 2

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

RAILWAY MANAGEMENT,

CANDID CRITICISM. . SPECIAL TO GUARDIAN. : WELLINGTON, Feb. 6. ! The continued drift of the railway S returns from bad to woi'se has driven j even the ardent friends of the Government to raise their voices in protest against the Department’s futile handling of an extremely grave problem. On Saturday the “Dominion” which the day before bad gently rebuked the Priilie Minister for having discouraged the Hon J. A. Hanan in his suggestion for the appointment of a Royal Commission to investigate tho incidence of taxation, gathering courage demanded that the working policy of the Department should be overhauled on sound business principles. “There is no doubt,” it said, “that a more enterprising policy than is now being pursued would be likely to lessen the present loss on railway working, and to hasten the day at which it will again * be possible to run the railways on a paying basis.” When something of. the same sort was said by Mr W. H. Glenn, the meriiber for Rangitikei, in the House on Friday, all that the Minister of Railways could say towards reassuring his friendly critic was that he and the General Manager would now resume their periodical visits to the various districts.

NOT A PARTY MATTER. The “Dominion” does not think that the occasional presence of the ministerial and financial heads of the department in the various districts, acceptable as it would be on personal grounds, would assuage the growing dissatisfaction with, the, management of the railways. “What is wanted,” it says, “is a sound policy of commercial enterprise which offers the only means of securing a maximum volume of goods and passenger traffic.” This, of course, is an echo of the insistent demand that has been made all over the country during the last year or two for a thorough revision of the Department’s methods. “At present,” to quote the local paper again, “the Department is very obviously failing to live up to such standards. Its ruling tendency is to f become a law unto itself, and to pay] insufficient regard either to the needs and interests of railway users or to the changing conditions of trade and transport which vitally affect its operations.” The business men of Wellington, most of whom share the “Dominion’s” party predilections, warmly support its views oil this subject and probably would. go further than the Reform organ would in enforcing them.

THE RAILWAY CUT. Meanwhile the public has been informed that the long impending railway “cut” will come into operation at tho beginning of next week. The announcement was made in the House on Friday and while the railway estimates were under discussion Sir George Hunter, the member for Waipawa, put it to the Minister that the Wellington-Napier line should he exempt from the further r xluetion in services on the ground that the people affected had accepted the last cut without demur and now had _ ood reason to believe their lines were making a satisfactory return. In the course of his reply the Hon D. H. Guthrie explained that it would be very difficult and extremely costly to separate the accounts of the WellingtonNapier line from tile accounts of the

.’dain Trunk line, and that the Department’s practice was to keep only one account for the North Island. This being the case, the Minister’s critics are anxious to know how he discovers which lines are being worked at a profit and which at a loss. Mr Guthrie seems to be in no hurry to satisfy their curiosity.

A STONEWALL. From a purely tactical point of view no doubt Mr Massey made a mistake in having the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Amendment Bill returned to the House from the Labour Bills Committee on Saturday morning. With the assurance of an adjournment at midnight the Labour and Liberal members had no difficulty in holding up the measure over the Sunday, and today they are returning to their task with spirits and bodies refreshed. Tlie general contention of the Opposition during Saturday’s debate was that the Ball sought to destroy the principle of the Arbitration system and to put powers of coercion in the hands of the. Judge of the Court. Many of the memliers seemed to speak without any piecise knowledge of the contents of the Bill, but they all made it plain they were against any interference with the main features of the original Act. Of course the Government with its solid and silent majority ultimately wiill have its way, but the fight is sure to draw the various groups that compose the Opposition closer together and to consolidate the Liberal-Labour vote in the country.