THE "GOVERNMENT STROKE."

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 9, 4 February 1909, Page 2

THE "GOVERNMENT STROKE."

THE ENQUIRY. By Telegraph.— Press Association. Christehmeh, J.>a*t Nig'bt. In n'j>)y to the telegram from Mr. Taylor, JVI.P., to tlie effect that tin; enquiry into the complaints regarding the methods at Addington railway workshops to prove effective should start at tin' bottom and work downwards, the Minister of Railways lias telegraphed:-- ! "In reply to your further telegram .«e i proposed enquiry at Addington, 1 am | not aware that hundreds of men are ' impeached. What I do know is that the l smiths' and: boiU'rma.kers 1 shops have ' been reported as not doing satisfactory work. A full enquiry will be made in*

-to the charges, which must necessarily ! coyer the whole question oi' working in the workshops, and as the General Manager is responsible for all work on the railways, die, a.s well a* others, will have to explain the position, but beyond the administration of the workshops uq power will be given to the couuuisMoners to investigate. (Signed) , J. A. Millar.' 5

Writes A. (J. Sit Tens in the Wellington Post:For real economy there is real room. as Hie Railways Department know;-. Take lii'M the ustonishiii.g increase in the number of eiuployee> during recent veais. There i> no possible wav in which the increase can be justilied. and explanation appears to be found only in .me of two assumptions---cither the Railway- Department is regarded a* a rc- . fuge for the subjects of political patron- | aire, or eNc the lnanagcinent hai been las and wakeful to an extraordinary degree. t)n the South Island lines last vear the nunihcv of employees was even largely ill' rea-eil, although the tra Hie was reduced -and this ia the traflie branch of the service as well as in others. The following table shows the rate of increase in the number of employees during the last three years. NKW ZKALAND RAILWAYS.

Total ... WXi 10.5.18 \i.m This shows that between l!H'"Hi and l!)lW-7 the numht rof employees was I creased by 10 per cent.; between 1!)0(k and HJO7-X it was increased by 13 per cent. During a period of two years the number of employees increased by 25 per cent. Tn the same period of two years the net revenue increased by only 11 per cent. So that in UM7-8 more than one- , fourth was added to the number of 1000-O employees iu order to add only a I tittle move, tiuui oue-tenth to the I'JU3-(i net revenue.

XumbiT of Htnnloyw. l!)05-0-7-8. Oi'Hii rt nii'til. 1005-11. 1 >00-7. 1H07-8 lii'iH'i'al 240 283 307 .MiiintcmuK'O 3238 3(812 4102 Trallii307 (i 3330 3725 Locomotive Sill 3531 4114