WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Taranaki Daily News, 14 August 1917, Page 7

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

RAILWAYS. / THE MINISTER AND HIS CRITICS;

(Prom Our Parliamentary Reporter), Wellington, August 1.0, The formal presentation of the Railway Rolling Stock Commission's reiport in the House yesterday afternoon provided a lively little interlude in which the member for Butt, the member for Wa-nganui and the Minister of Railways were th» principal actors. Mr Wilford, whom the Minister holds responsible for the setting up of the Commission and for the very considerable expenditure it has entailed, strongly resented the criticism that had 'been directed against him. He freely admitted that the personnel of the Commission was all that could be desired and that its findings were in keeping with the evidence, but he alleged the Railway Department had spent six months in "cleaning up" before it invited the investigation. "The charge was a year old," lie said, "when the enquiry was undertaken, and many thousands of pounds had been spent in saving the dignity of high railway officials." The member for Hutt accepted the word of the Minister that there had been no "cleaning up," but ho stuck to his contention that the waste of money was not excused toy anything he had said.

STILL IN DOUBT. The member for Wanganui, speaking with practical knowledge and with the studied deliberation which always gives weight to his utterances in the House, ex/pressed his firm conviction that all was not well with the management of the railways. The whole purpose of the Commission, he said, had been to whitewash the general manager, who had been "strutting about the camps in a military uniform" while good men had been leaving the service on account of their dissatisfaction with their conditions. But Mr. Veiteli did not think the money Bpent upon the Commission had been altogether wasted and he was glad to be able to offer this crumb of comfort to, the taxpayers. The inquiry had drawn attention to various defects in the system and had induced certain officers to attend a little more closely to their duties. The Department had selected, its own witnesses and very naturally had called only those who could a»y.. "Yes" to every affirmation of the oxjcellence of its organisation and the fulness of its efficiency.

Toe minister in reply. Mr. Herries replied to the critics of his Department in the most spirited' speech he has made in the House for many a long day and obtained plenty of encouragement from his own side of the House as he proceeded: to rebuke Mr. Wiltord and Mr. Veitch for having put the country to a "quite unnecessary expense." At one time, indeed, members seemed to be divided on the old party lines, save for the amity prevailing on the Treasury benches, and interjections and retorts were thrown from side to side in quite tho familiar style of former times. But the principals in the little passage of arms preserved their habitual equanimity and the incident closed without any demonstration of temper. The Minister's point was that the "charges" raai«_by Wilford and Mr. Voiteh hod justifled the appointment of the Commission ana that these gentlemen would have to take tho blame for the expenditure. Tho members protested to the last, but were, like Mr. Herries, content to let the public be their iudceein the matter. 11

I ELECTORAL BOON©ABIES. I ,Mr S. McCallum took the opportunity afforded by the introduction of a. Bill by Mr. Massey designed to give parliamentary representation to the members of the Expeditionary Force to suggest; to the Prime Minister that the South Island should retain its present number of representatives in the House and that the North Island should be given an additional number in accordance with its increased population. This., practically, was the plan followed by Mr. Seddon- | when he was fated by s. similar problem after the census of 1806, the net result being an increase in the number of members from seventy to seventy-six and equality in the representation of the two islands for a single Parliament. The precedent is not likely to be regarded ae a very admirable one by & Housewhvah already contains a majority of eight North Island members and is looking forward to seeing the margin substantially increased in the next Parliament, but Mr. Massey has promised consideration to Mr. McCaUum's suggestion and more will be heard of it before the boundaries their work.