RAILWAY MANAGEMENT.

Taihape Daily Times, 13 August 1919, Page 5

RAILWAY MANAGEMENT.

Surprise is expressed by ‘the Otago Daily 1111165 that the Minister of Railwayg should have lent the authority of his name to the recent declarations of the nolicy 01 the Railway Depart nxent in placing liquor on an exzep tinnal fmting in its discrimination '5"tween the articles of mercandise which shall be conveyed by rail during the currency of the restricted services. Says the Times: Liquor, it eppears from the Ministerial dictum, cccupies a class by itself among commodities. For the reason that the sale of it is licensed and is not prohibited, “it cannot be treated in the same, w:zy as other goods, essential or non-essenLi:=.l_” Mr I-lerries blandly cleclinesto take on himself “the responsibxZir.y of an action enforcing prohibition in the country districts_” He i-5 not very complimentary to those engaged in the liquor traffie if

he SIIDDOQC-S that a refusal on the part of his Department to carry supplies m". alcoholwould b_e productive of prohibition in any district. The resourcefulness of “the trade” is really not so slender‘ as he would have us believe. The effect on the embargo on the con-. veyance of liquor by rail so long as essential supplies of commodities awaited consignment would doubtless be to increase the cost to consumer in the country districts. But residents in these districts are already being compelled, as a result of the railway re-trictions.-7 to pay enhanced prices for their supplies of other goods. And there is no valid reason why alcoli’ol, even though the sale of it is licensed, should Le treated more favourably than commodities for the sale of which license is not necessary. By placing liquor “on a different ifooting,” as Mr Herries agrees it is placed, “from Other goods,” the Minister has actually presented the prohibitionists with an argument which they might be expected to utilise for all it is worth in the nex‘, few months.