WELLINGTON NOTES.

Hokitika Guardian, 15 October 1923, Page 1

WELLINGTON NOTES.

THE RAJ LAV AYS. ECONOMY AND EFFICIENCY. [Special To The Guardian.] AYELLINGTON, Oct. 12 The Hen. J. G. Coates’s statement at New Plymouth in regard to the new ■lailway policy now in the course of incubation has attracted a good deal in interested attention here. 'File Minister’s frank admission that he knows nothing about the details of railway management lias to a largo extent disarmed casual criticism ; but there is a eery wide spread feeling that the (ion oral Manager still remains the political as well as the administrative head of the Department and that there will he no radical change in methods while he continues supreme. .Air AleA’iliy remains wedded to the idea that the only way to obtain satisfactory results fro. tin- line- is to maintain high charges and to reduce services. This is exactly the reverse to the policy adopted by the companies at Home when they resumed control of their lines alter the period of State management institute! during the war. They set out to popularise the railways and apparent lv they succeeded. No one can sa\ that the New Zealand railways are popular and neither the Minister nor the General .Manager can pretend tlnare efficient. This, at any rate, is the kind of criticism one hears in the street and it is sufficiently pointed 1 bo impressive. MILD REBUKE.

The new .Minister certainly is not responsible for such defects in P administration of the system as may exist. The local newspapers recognise this fact and are studiously mild in tlmir allusions to the situation. “The recent improvement in the financial position of the railways,” says the “Dominion,” “is duo in the main te economies which have led to a reduction in expenditure. ... It should not lie long, however, particularly if further economies are effected, before a reduction in rates becomes practicable.” The “Post” is even more careful of the now Minister’s susceptibilities. “It is to he expected,” it observes, “that reduced expenditure will entail some reduction in earning power. But it does not follow that the present revenue should be accepted as determined by circumstances over which the management has no control.” The man in the street maintains that the usatisfaetorv financial condition of the railways is due to the management attempting lo extract as much as possible from the public without giving it full value for its money. This, lie declares, is the policy that has encouraged and firmly established motor competition and that is threatening to oust the State service altogether from most of the branch lines. PUBLIC FINANCES. The “New Zealand Times” this morning is equally conciliatory reviewing the public finances. Hopefulness will he encouraged throughout the Dominion,'' it says, “by the publication of the Minister’s figures.” Then having elaborated its point it comes down from the skies to the earth. “The imed of money for various purposes of settlement,” it declares, “is great, as is shown hy the figures of the vast business done and approached during the half-year, amounting to seven million- sterling in all. It i- not that, however, which matters in this connection. The need is for a gloat policy which shall increase settlement and supply it with public works, and at tho same time push rapidly forward, an A comprehensively,- the hydro-electric power system now lining developed too slowly for the needs of the Dominion. It is for such a help to progress that the Dominion will he looking .vnou t l-e Budget is presented next session.” This suggests again that the imp.Mvcment in the public finances are no more due tn such erommiios as have been effected —for which, of course Him; is warm appreciation—as it is to the postponement of undertakings that are necessary for the development of 'lie resources of the Dominion. li e Mi . isl.er of Finance still lias great problems to solve. CITIZENS PROTEST. A very representative deputation organised by the City Council, waited upon the Acting Prime Minister ;ml the Minister of Justice yesterday to protest against the re-orcclioii of a prison at .Mount Crawford, Miramar, one of the nmsl delightful building areas within the environment of Wellington The protest, was a little belated, since the erection of the first instalment of the prison buildings is practically <omploled, and the deputation obtained little comfort from the Ministers. Sir Erancis Bell admitted quite frankly that lie was responsible for the selection of the site. He wanted to relieve his colleagues of any responsibility for what hi- had done when Minister ol Justice. But. lie remained obdurate. Nothing the deputation had said had shaken his opinion that the site selected was not the best available. Mr Parr agreed with the view of his predecessor in office that from utilitarian and financial points of view the site was most suitable. The building would not he a prison, hut a hnlf-wav house. And so the deputation went empty away and the city loses definitely a potential suburb of great beauty.