PARLIAMENT

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 10717, 30 October 1912, Page 5

PARLIAMENT

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) '' WELLINGTON, Lost Night. \ PUBLIC SERVICE BILL. I In the House of Representatives j this evening, the amendments made j by the Legislative Council in the PubJ lie Service Bill were agreed to. THE RAILWAYS. On the- motion, to commit the, Government Railways Amendment Bill, the Hon W. H. Hemes said there was no disguising the fact that there was dissatisfaction in connection with the management of the railways. What they intended to do in~ the matter of the General Manager of Railways was to get the High Commissioner to call for applications and arrange a personal interview. They recognised that £3OOO would not get a first-class man, but should secure the services of a young man (35 or 40) who held a responsible post in some of the big, companies in England," Ireland, Scotland or Canada. It was recognised that the Traffic. Department was the most important in the service. Doaling with the salaries of railway servants, ho said the increases provided for in the second division met with the - approval of the A.S.R.S. He regretted that the increases for the first division did not satisfy the Railway Officers' Institute; but he could not do more this year. He hoped to get 3J per cent, interest ou -of the. ■. railways.That would allow of concessions which could not be allowed if 4 per cent was looked for. The increases for the first diviatortWoatld • cost £6410 in the • first year, £13,750 in the second year, £14,520 in the third year, and-£14,-805 in the fourth year. .The, increases would come into force on Ist April next. As to the second division, on Ist April next the increases would amount to £83,000 a year. _,. ,WJhen the. new management' arriyed;;ne,xti:;yearV. : he would be prepared to open the whole matter and set right any anomalies. He concluded by saying that he thought the country might well be proud of its railway service. •

u- /.^Sir.. JFosejpH Waird ,;.attributed ■. any, \ disia'tikfactioii' that }ip \Jsk. l-present. administration endeavouring [to get 4 t per cent,.out,of. railways.. -He disagreed" with the .suggestion to imjport a General Manager for RaHpointing many who had spent yearn in the service, and ;; vere;'inatural^; "liking forward to thopjum in the service. He proceeded to enumerate a number of .officers, to show that there,,;was ample ..the v Sir Joseph 'advocated 'up,, of a board of experts, consisting ''of the heads of the Maintenance and Enl gineeririg Departments, to act in. conjunction with the Minister, Mr A. M. Myers opposed this suggestion, as it would be inimical to <•">-, ordination and cooperation. He maintained that not one of the gentlemen named by Sir Joseph Ward was capable of being appointed General Manager, as they lacked the necessary opportunities to qualify for such a, difficult position, ihrugh they werr» worthy men for other important work. He believed, also, that it would be profitable to import, an expert to report on engineering matters, and thus 1 save thousands of pounds. Mr G. W. Russell contended that the person whom the Minister had in his mind's eyo would never fulfil the expectations. He would move the following .amendment, "And the House suggests that the Government' should bring down an amendment.to grant the concessions to the first division as from April Ist, 1913, which were recommend by the Railway Committee." It would, he said, only take an expenditure of £12,000 to allay .the seething discontent among a large body of men, and that amount could be raised by increasing the freight on wool by 4d per bale. Mr Russell's amendment was lost by 37 votes to 20. The question of whether the railway manager should he imported or not, together with the general provisions of the measure, was then diseussed at length. Mr D. Buddo moved an amendment to the committal of the Bill, "That this House disagrees with the proposal to pay £3OOO a year for a General Manager of Railways, who is to be imported from outside New Zealand."

Mr L. M. Isitt suggested that an expert be secured from Home for a year, for say £SOOO.