PARLIAMENT.

Taranaki Daily News, 13 October 1919, Page 8

PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington, October 11. THE RAILWAY ESTIMATES. After the telegraph office closed the discussion' on the railway vote continued. Mr Fraser for a review of the Longton case and urged that the Minister's veto on the decision of the Appeal Board should be abolished. Replying to Mr. Veitch, Mr. Masscy • explained how it was that, while fares and freights had been increased 25 per cent., the increase in the revenue had only been five per cent. This, he said, was due to the additional expenditure, for-instance the bonus given to railway Servants consumed £SOOO, the extra cost of coal was £25,000. and the epidemic cost the department £IOO,OOO. Compared with the Australian railways the New Zealand lines occupied a. very favorable position. The earning percentage of the Victorian lines was 4.19, New South, Wales 4.1, Queensland 1.55, South Australia 3.18, Western Australia 2.05, Tasmania 1.55, while the New Zealand railways paid 4.65. Speaking generally, Mr Massey said he was not sure that we should go on much longer with increased fares and freights. Mr Wilford, discussing the salary of £3OO paid to the Gc«.era! Manager, said the whole question was whether the job was worth the money. He thought it was not, and this contention was, lie thought, proved by the small part which the General Manager played in the preparation of the annual report, which report was the compilation of work in which the General Manager had no part. For three years prior to Mr- Hiley's departure it was generally admitted that the railway service was unsatisfactory, and for that the present general manager must have been more or less responible, because Mr Hiley spent so much of his time in the camps. It had been said that the salary should be £3OOO. because the railways were worth £30,000,000, but, if that rule was to ap])lt. the Auditor-General, Commissioner of Stamps, to say nothing of many other public servants, should be put on the same level as the General Manager of the Railways. Mr W. H'. Herries defended the running of the railways during the past three years on the ground that the war made it impossible to run the service on peace conditions. As to the salary .of the General Manager, he eulogised Mr M'Villy, as one who had gained all his experience in the local service, and he thought the country would never approve the policy of paying a local man less than the importen officer. Replying to questions Mr. Massey said it was the policy of the Department to take every man back into the railway service who went to the war. Regarding the Minister's veto over the Appeal Board's decisions, he said before that veto could be abolished the board wculd have to be reconstituted so as to give to the Department representation on it. The vote passed at 3.35. The following votes were also passed which completed tlie estimates: State Forest Account., .-€123,099; State coal mines. £322,347; Lands for settlement, £11,118; Public Trust Office, £134,941; Government Insurance Department, £78,314; Government Accident Insurance Department, £6900; State Fire Office, £56.534; State Advances Account, £571,008; Native Land Settlement... £3200; Scenery Preservation, £6350. The Housing Bill was introduced by Governor's message and read a first time. The House rose at 4 a.m. till 7.30 on Monday.