SALARIES TOO LOW.

Hokitika Guardian, 18 February 1925, Page 4

SALARIES TOO LOW.

PROFESSIONAL MEN UNDERPAID. AUCKLAND. Feb. 10. i “There is very little inducement for , highly-trained professional men to come to New Zealand,” was the opinion expressed to-day by Mr Charles ’! ravis, who recently toured New Zealand and parts of Australia as secretary to the Royal Commission on Railways. Mr Travis, who is editor of the “British Railway Engineer,” and associate editor of the “British Railway Gazette,’ returned to Australia at the conclusion of the sittings of the commission in New Zealand to examine more closely the railway systems of Die various States of the Commonwealth. He is a passenger by the Alakura. en route to England, via. Canada and the United States. “In this country and ill Australia too,” said Mr Travis, “you pay your unskilled labourers almost as well as your professional men. who are shockingly underpaid in comparison with other and older countries. Obviously if a man has to pay a huge amount tor bis training and to devote years ol bis life to equipping himself lie should be able to command something better than the salaries offering in these countries.” Mr Travis said that ill his opinion the New Zealand railways wore a highly creditable concern, considering (lie difficulties and conditions presented by (be nature of the country, the engineering problems being the most difficult lie had ever experienced. New Zealam,* pad about twenty times more bridges and tunnels than Australia had. He felt that the Dominion’s railways were going to do wonderful work in future, but the various isolated sections would have to be linked up if the best results were to be obtained from the system. New Zealand did the right filing in adopting the narrow gauge I'm', ac- , ording to Mr Travis, who said that iao’ i oilier countries with similar en- . ~i,--i in- problems bad laid down Lius will, a width of Jit. Gin. He fell I hat in time New Zealand would be able to develop heavier rolling stock, with consequent speeding up of time-tables, but a certain amount of regrading and realignment would be necessary, particularly on the main trunk line through tlie North Island, as the present curves and heavy gradients were against speed.

While in Australia Mr Travis travelled over most of the States making the journey liv the I rans-eont ineutai line from Perth to Melbourne. He expressed the view that the trains running on this line were the host lie had seen on anv of the colonial railways, ami were well up to modern standards. In one place tlie line ran for hundreds of miles in a perfectly straight lino over level country, and between Adelaide and Perth there was only one tunnel, and that close to the city ot Perth. With a. little more attention lo the ballasting of the line great speeds would he attained !>v expresses.