MANAGEMENT OF RAILWAYS.

Auckland Star, Volume LIII, Issue 248, 19 October 1922, Page 7

MANAGEMENT OF RAILWAYS.

THE NEW SYSTEM. COMMERCIAL ~AGENT EXPLAINS. Speaking at a meeting of the committee of the Canterbury Railway Committee, Mr. James Mason (North Island representative on the Railways Advisory Board) eaid: —'"The General Manager is keenly desirous of making the railways of this Dominion of the greatest possible utility to tile community as a whole; that is .provided that whatever he is doing is a sound business proposition." As they all knew the railways during ' the last year worked out at !i lose of over f 1,000.0.00. That mt first sight might appear to be a very sorious matter. but when they took into consider- ' ation the - very grave difficulties under which the Department had been working the result achieved by the railways during the last year was not one to be regarded as unsatisfactory. Rather, he thought, the community -was exceedingly fortunate in coming out with so slight a loss. It had been netioed that the newspapers a few.weeks ago pub lifhed an excerpt from the London "Financial Times," which was a journal of very high standing in the commercial world. That excerpt reviewed railway matters the world over, and in •100-king over the. situation and analysing it the article saw "fit to draw attention to several pertinent facts. One wafl that the New Zealand railways during the troublous times through which they "had passed did not increase their freight charges to anywhere near the extent that the railways of some of the older countries had found it necessary to increase them. Canada and Great Britain, thickly populated as they were and pioneers in railway systems, found it necessary to raise_ their freight charges in come cases as high »" 150"per cent. They found in most railways that freight charges and passenger fares were raised considerably more than those in New Zealand. The average increase in fares in New Zealand as the result of the war conditions was .« per cent. When they considered that as naainst 100 and 150 per cent increases on other railways it was something to be appreciative about, and on which the Dominion could congratulate itself. '•r do not wish it to lie inferred that I think our railway is immaculate," said Mr. Mason. "Xo business can claim to be immaculate, but if such committees as yours reeognistf the difficulties with which the Department has to contend and meet the. representatives of the Department in a reasonable and helpful way then I think that we are -oinc to get better relations bjjt'wecn the public and the management. It is constructive criticism that is going to assist. I would like to say that the General Manager always welcomes anything in the way of constructive criticism. It may be" that he will be unaMe to adopt a suggestion put ibefore him, ■'mt he has the very keenest desire to do the very best for the whole of the community. I would like to say this: <that where"the General Manager finds he has not ibeen able to accede to your request give him credit for having considered your representations Honestly and sympathetically ; 'and that where he has turned a suggestion (town he has done so out of a very strong sense that it is the oi»ly course open to nim."