RAILWAY COMMISSION.

Taranaki Daily News, 30 September 1919, Page 7

RAILWAY COMMISSION.

GENERAL MANAGER'S EVIDENCE. 1 departments "at" LOGGERHEADS. ! By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. Mr. McVilly, examined by the chairman regarding the constitution of the advisory committee, said that so far as lie knew the setting up of this commitTnittee was a mere arrangement between Mr. Hiley, then manager of railways, and the Minister of Munitions. Witness know nothing as to how it came into existence, or whether the Railway Department through its chief offered auy objection to the arrangement. The necessary information as to the supply of coal was given to the Department weekly, Mr. Myers: In order to clear up any doubt on the point, was the shortage of coal the only cause of the curtailment of the railway service? Witness answered in the affirmative. Then there was no foundation for any suggestions to the contrary?— None whatever. Were restrictions greater than necessary!— No. Th« chairman- Apparently assuming you were able to get shipping, you were allowed to get coal independent of any other department?— Yes. As far as you know they did not absolutely prohibit you from getting coal yourself?— That is so. The chairman, in referring to the advisory committee, commented that it itemed an extraordinary thing that the advisory committee was supposed to operate specifically on the railways, yet the Railway Department did not know about it. Mr. Hunt: From the correspondence it if) 'quite evident that there was a good deal of friction between the Railways Department coal committee and the Munitions Department'. At least, if it was not friction it was disagreement. Was it ths opinion of the Department that the Coal Committee or Munitions Department was not acquiring all the coal it could get, or that it was taking too much coal from the railways and giving it to other people, or was it both 1 Mr. McVilly said the Commission could dissociate its mind from any suggestion that there was any friction. He could say that positively. Without any display of feeling on either side there had been a strong difference of opinion. i Further questioned, Mr. McVilly said that both Mr. Hiley and himself considered the Railway Department requirements were not held to be m im- | portant as the railways warranted in the , public interest. The Railway Department considered that orders for coal which it placed and secured should be regarded as something additional to its allocations hv the Coal Board, instead of which it was actually taken into consideration in computing the coal it wa3 to get. In witness' opinion Mr. Hiiey would have liked to have a free hand to deal with the railway coal supplies, and if he had been allowed this he would have g-ot sufficient coal. Mr Marchhanks: That would have ' been from outside countries?— Yes. Mr. Blair: Do you suggest the Munitions Department was responsible for the railways not being able to get sufficient coal? Witness: I am not suggesting anything. Witness added that there was blame attachable to someone, but it was for the Commission to sheet home this blame. IMr. Blair: One of your officers suggested that the Munitions Department was to blame.—l claim that neither my late phi of nor the departmental officers, myself, nor my late Minister were responsible. Is it not a fact that the Munitions Department built up vour stocks from 17,251 tons in May, 1018, to 34,621 tons in October of the some year? Witness replied that the stocks did increase somewhat during that period, but the Munitions Department did not deliver all the coal it promised. From the railway point of view there were difficulties in burning anything other than hard coal. The next witness was Alex. McTntosh, a member of the board of honorary advisers to the Munitions Depart men.. In the course of his evidence witness remarked: "I sav emphatically, and with a full knowledge of the circumstances, that no blame ivlmtever attaches to the Railway Department for the cut in the services. It was inevitable. Coal was not obtainable as the result of strikes here and in Nt>w South Wales, the goslow policy, and the general dislocation of shipping. The cut could only have been avoided by the railways receiving such proportion of coal as would have imperilled the vital industries, many of which were feeders to the various lines."

Continuing, witness said the whole aim of the Railway Department permanent officials was extremely narrow, one of keeping their pwn end up regardless of other interests, a fact of which, they had to be continually reminded. Throughout the whole difficulty the Munitions and Supplies Department consistently advised the Minister to equitably allocate tlya coal, having full regard to the requirements ol the railways and all other essential industries and householders, for it was plain beyond dispute that a hand-to-mouth policy could only be maintained. Apparently the Railway Department, ignoring the true course, had set out to endeavor to place the blame on others, on the ground that their requirements alone should have been fully met.

In answer to the chairman, witness said the function of the advisory board was simply to make recommendations to the Minister, There were no restrictions placed on the Railway Department obtaining coal from abroad on its own account.

The Commission adjourned till to' morrow.