The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. TUESDAY, DECEMBER 30th, 1924. RAILWAY REFORM.

Hokitika Guardian, 30 December 1924, Page 2

The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. TUESDAY, DECEMBER 30th, 1924. RAILWAY REFORM.

The press of the Dominion is giving the report of the Railway Commission

a very friendly reception. Indeed, many of the news) apers are welcoming it ; as opening the way to modern reforms which will assist to remove many of the complaints front the public, over past years. Kven the Government- organs are commenting very impartially anil aiaepling the reforms indicated with a good deal of favor. The .Minister of Railways for his part is also absorbing the report, if not in globo, at least in liberal sections, mid many reforms may lie looked for. The Government paper in Wellington regards the report very favorably, it remarks that the report of the Fay-Vinccnl Commission is obviously a document of great practical value, and the eoiiiusions and recommendations it embodies may lie expected to exercise a very important iiilluence on the development of railways policy in this country in the immediate future. The broad elfcet of the report is to show that in its Stale lailway undertaking the Dominion possesses a valuable national asset and one that may he expected in the right, conditions to render satisfactory and eilieieul service and to hold its own against competition. It is encouraging to lind the competent and experienced railwayman who constituted the commission of Opinion that the railways will still lie able to earn an adeipiate net revenue after the 21 millions .sterling to lie spent during the next ten years on now construction and improvements have been added to their capital load. On the other hand, attention is directed to the need of far-reaching administrative and working reforms, some of which wore already contemplated. The report affords confirmation of the view that the management and operation of the railways is in some respects out of date. It indicates very definitely that the administration of the system may he made much more efficient by the institution of non-political control, and a judicious application of the principle of decentralisation, that important working economies are practicable, and that it is open to the Department by developing faster, more frequent and more convenient train services, to do much more than it has done in the past to study and meet the convenience of the public. The point is strongly emphasised that the railways are much less used by the public than they should ho and that the remedy is to ho found in a business-like revision of services and time-tables with due attention to toui-ist and excursion traffic. On this point the commissioners declare that there is “certainly great need for more vigorous and intensive publicity work in connection with the railways of New Zealand, with regard to the circulation or information as to ordinary tourist and excursion train facilities, and generally in connection with the activities of the Department.” It is mentioned that considerable activity in publicity matters is contemplated bv the Department during Dio next few years, and the commission recommends that a. special official, a secretary, assisted hv a competent staff, should he appointed to develop ail enterprising publicity campaign. There is no (loulit that effective publicity, going hand in hand, with such changes as the commission advocates in the separation of goods and passenger traffic, and the improvement and extension of tourist excursion, and other services would enable the Railways Department to add vow considerably to its present turnover and revenue earning. It is noteworthy that although Die commission recommends concessions in tourist, excursion. and suburban fares it does not consider that any general reduction in fares and freights is warranted for the time being. Many of the detail recommendations of tlie commission are verv impressive in their indication of economics that might he effected without in any way lowering the efficiency of the system. Coming as they do from highly-qualified railwaymen of long experience, a number of these recommendations plainly imply that in some directions the past methods nnj

practice of the Deportment lmve been seriously at fault as regards both efficiency and economy. It is .shown, for instance, that the Department is using far too many typos of locomotives, and other clases of rolling stock, and that a proportion of the existing locomotives are obsolete. In these conditions, repair and upkeep costs are, of Course, inevitably high. It is pointed out that Xow Zealand railway engines, are, oil an average, twice as often under repair its those of a well-managed English system-. The undue multiplicity of locomotive repairing shops is explicitly condemned, find the commission urges that the whole of this work should lie concentrated at l’etonc in the North Island, and at Addington in the South Island. Though this recommendation mav give rise to a good deal of Petechial opposition, it.s adoption would make for efficiency and .economy. 1 lie Minister of Railways has indicated that the recommendations of the commission will in great part lie carried into elfoct. Apparently, however, it is not intended to adopt what is perhaps the most important recommendation of all—that the railways should he placed under non-political control, lhe commissioners have nowhere expressed themselves more decidedly than in declaring that except in regard to matters of hroad policy the control of the railways would he most wisely left in expert hands. In announcing the formation of a Board of Management, the Minister stated, however, that no departure was contemplated fioni the principle contained in the Government Railways Act. which placed the control of the railways and the Department “entirely in the hands of the Minister.” Much depends, of course, on the interpretation of this statement., hut it is clearlv desirable from n national standpoint that the Board of Management should he freed from political control except in matters of hroad policy.