The Press. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 1899. RAILWAY MANAGEMENT.

Press, Volume LVI, Issue 10269, 11 February 1899, Page 6

The Press. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 1899. RAILWAY MANAGEMENT.

The Report of the Committee of the Railway Reform League, which was adopted at the meeting held last evening, is, we think, the most exhaustive and convincing deliverance we have yet seen on the subject of Canterbury's notorious grievances. The task which the Committee undertook was one which vitally concerns the wellbeing and convenience of the public, and it has been performed with thoroughness, and set out- in moderate language. We therefore commend to the people of Canterbury a careful study of the grievances which have been so fully and clearly stated by the League. The first thing we notice in the League's manifesto is its freedom from political bias. The objectionable features of management, it declares, have varied but- little with successive administrations. The League concludes that Conservative and Liberal Ministers, and independent Commissioners, have all been tarred with the same brush. This, in other words, seems to mean that all our railway administrators have been beset alike as officials by the demons of poverty, ineptitude, and political pressure. Under such conditions is it- matter for wonder that our railway service should have gathered around it so much -t-hat is anomalous, inconsistent, and inequitable? While bled by a Treasury which has ever cried aloud for money, the little expert ability which its administrators possessed has been practically neutralised by the distractions of general politics. If half of tho League's indictment be true, and we believe it is all true, there is one great practical question which should be faced without delay. That is the engaging and the setting at the head of the New Zealand railways of a specially-trained and experienced man of proved administrative capacity. Who would ever think of entrusting anything so indecisive or so indiscriminating as tho whirligig of politics to produce a man fitted to control a nation's war fleet or to teach mathematics? But this is the very process by which we obtain men to manage our most complex and highly technical railway" business. The special natural gifts and experience required to adequately grasp and effectively direct a large railway service are so uncommon, even in- England, as to readily command salaries of £6000 a year or more. The late Mr Eddy, Manager of Railways in New South Wales, was brought from England at a salary of "something like £4000, and the result proved that he was worth the money twice over. Then why in the name of common sense do we go on year "after year entrusting a great business, so vital to our colony's progress, to political amateurs, who come and go without even time to learn the A B C of the work ? We , desire to-speak on this question entirely aside from party politics. We do not know that one adjninistration has been more at fault-than another. But we may adduce as a recent illustration of our argument the letter published by Mr. Cadman on 23rd December. Mr. Cadman, we know, only desired to state what he believed to be true; but it is deplorable to witness a responsible Minister putting his name to such a series of palpable errors and misstatements —such, for example, as saying that .the 'Lyttelton-Christchurch haulage charge covered cartage, sorting, and sidings. And it seems really extraordinary for a man in Mr. Cadman's position to be unaware, as he seems to be, of the fact that the business of the importation and distribution coastwise of merchandise at Dunedin is now practically all done at Dunedin wharf and not at Port Chalmers. If the permanent officer in charge of the railways saw Mr. Cadman's letter, and he certainly ought to have seen it, we .think he was even more worthy of blame than his political chief. The most significant 'feature of last evening's meeting was the absolute unanimity of men of all shades of political colour in declaring that the claims of Canterbury for redress in respect of its numerous grievances were not only amply justified, but set out fairly and temperately. The League, we think, is also to be commended for taking the right and courteous method of sending a copy of the report to the Minister of Railways, and requesting an interview with him before proceeding to arouse the country on the question. In view of the strength of the case for Canterbury which has been made out by the League, we are at a loss to see what reasonable ground of excuse the Minister can put 'forward for refusing the desired relief. It has, of course, become intolerable that a centre of the importance of Christchurch should continue to have its legitimate trade throttled and starved by such iniquitous railway management. As the League very properly says, Christchurch sheds are practically the end of the Lyttelton wharf. Goods have to be conveyed from. Lyttelton not by retail lots but by the cargo. The importance of the trade urgently calls for a radical revision of all the railway charges, including those affecting the loading and unloading of trucks at ships' side} and for timber. The charges to ships and to consignees that are made for labour and overtime .at ship's side, appear to be altogether out of proportion to the cost of the work to the Department. We give in another column the net comparative result of the working of the different provincial railways It shows. that Canterbury lines, which cost £3,460,688, pay 4.11 per cent, interest on cost; that other provincial lines, which cost £11,589,015, pay 2.79 per cent, average interest en cost; and that Canterbury thus contributes yearly an excessive proportion of 1.32 per cent., or £45,081' per annum. It is also shown that Canterbury lines earn £134 for every £100 earned by Otago lines; £130 for every £100 earned by Wellington, Napier, and.New

Plymouth lines; £171 for 6very £100 earned by Auckland lines; and £312 for every £34 earned by Nelson lines. In tho light of these figures it is not easy to read with patience the remarks which Mr. Cadman has repeatedly made, to tha effect that he had no money with which to do justice to Canterbury in the matter of additional trucks and improvements urgently needed. We trust that tho Government will not only sec the wisdom of conceding the just demands made by the Reform League, but also without delay take the necessary steps to place the Department under the control of a thoroughly qualified railway expert. We submit that the colony has now reached a stage of development which urgently calls for consistency and continuity of policy in the management of our railways. The trade of the colony has really become too important to have the railway service of particular districts any longer made by turns the milch cow of the Treasury, and a net for catching votes.