THE Temuka Leader. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 1892. THE RAILWAY COMMISSIONERS.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2425, 15 November 1892, Page 2

THE Temuka Leader. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 1892. THE RAILWAY COMMISSIONERS.

Tjie greatest political question at the present time appears to be how to deal with the Railway Commissioners. In another 12 months their term of office will expire, and it is absolutely necessary to do something in the meantime, to put their position on a proper footing. At the end of their term the Commissioners will have no power to carry on the railways any longer, and the Government cannot resume control of them without fresh legislation. It will, therefore, be necessary to deal with the matter in some form next session. A bill was introduced by the Government last session, giving the Minister of Public Works the power to veto the acts of the Commissioners, but violent opposition to it was exhibited, and it failed to pass. If similar opposition is offered to next session's bill, and it fails to pass in the same way, there will be nothing but chaos, as no one will then have any control over the railways. It is, however, to be hoped that wiser councils will prevail, and that a suitable measure will be carried, into law. The chief question involved in the dispute is, Shall the Commissioners get a new lease of their position as independent managers of the railways ? or Shall they be rendered amendable to parliamentary control ? At present they are absolutely independent of all political influence. When asked by Parliament to explain anything they invariably decline to do so, and they generally treat the Government as well as the representatives of the people with supreme contempt. What is worse than this is the fact that they have managed the railways badly. Up to the time of the strike there was no man in New Zealand who had a good word for them, even Mr Rhodes in his address to his constituents, said that it was necessary to bring them to a sense of their responsibility. "Itis an ill-wind that blows nobody good." The strike did an immense amount of harm, but it was a godsend to the Railwpy Commissioners, as only for it their status would have been altered long ago. Indeed, it is most probable that they would have been dismissed from the service altogether. In our opinion they behaved very badly during the strikes; but Conservatives think otherwise, and now the Commissioners are vigorously supported by the Conservative Party in and out of Parliament. The Commissioners have thrown in their lot with the Conservatives, and they treat Liberals with supreme contempt. This is only what might have been expected. It was the Conservative Party placed them in power, and it is only natural that they should pay more respect to them than to the Liberals. Their appointment was a great job. Parliament passed an act empowering the Government to place the railways under nonpolitical control, but it was generally understood that an expert manager would be brought out from either England or America and placed in charge of the railways. Instead of I ' •"• this the Government added i sahries of Messrs m n T'tt "« »»* £m t 0 Maxwell and salary of Mr McKerrow, anu

them Commissioners. No doubt their pay was augmented, in the belief that their brains and managing capacity would increase proportionately, but they did not, for in a short time they had the service demoralised, the postal arrangements of the colony disorganised, and everything went wrong until the time of the strikes. Parliament never intended this. The Act was passed with the view of getting the services of a thoroughly competent railway, expert but instead of that the present Commissioners were pitch-forked into the position, and the result has been bad management. But the question is, What is to be done for the future. Are the " Wicked Three,'' as they are called, to be continued in their present independent position ? and Are the representatives of the people to have no voice in the management of our railways V So far as we are concerned we favour the bill of last session. It is the height of absuridity that the Minister of Public Works should have to provide money for the commissioners without having the slightest control of how it is being spent. We do think, therefore, that the bill of last session was fair and reasonable, and we hope that it will be carried next session.