RAILWAY APPEALS

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 259, 2 May 1912, Page 5

RAILWAY APPEALS

POSITION OP THE GENERAL MANAGER. By Telegraph—Prevss Association. Christchurch, April 30. At a sitting of the Railway Appeal Board for the South Island to-day, Mr. W. R. Haselden, S.M. (chairman) made a lengthy statement, giving his view of the law regarding appeals from the decision to grant or withhold certificates of efficiency to members. In the course of his statement Mr. Haselden said, regarding the position of the general manger, that so long as a man was trusted by the State with the responsibilities of running the whole railway system, he should he trusted honestly to use his judgment every time he preferred a junior to a senior. The chance* of the general manager learning the truth as to a man's capabilities were infinitely greater than those of the board, which had only the evidence of specially-se-lected witnesses, and it would be a very dangerous thing for the hoard to assume the responsibility of deciding on the respective merits of some thousands of officers. In his opinion, the sound and only possible position for the board to take, up was that if there was nothing to show want of good faith on the part of the manager, his judgment as to the merits of members should be accepted.