Untitled

Press, Volume LII, Issue 15752, 20 November 1916, Page 6

In the current "Gazette" particulars are given of the revenue and expenditure of the Working Railways Department up to October 14th last. The higher fares and freights are continuing to leave on the credit side a much greater balancc than has ever been recorded before. For the 28 -weeks of the railway year covered by the "Gazette" returns, the total revenue was £2,406,164, and the expenditure was £1,£531,630. The revenue is higher by £204,634 than the revenue for the corresponding period last year, and the expenditure is loss by £42,622, so that the net revenue, £914.514, is nearly a quarter of a million sterling greater than it was for the first 28 weeks of the preceding railway year. j

This is satisfactory as to totals; it is a good thing that the railways arc not a burden upon the Consolidated Fund in war time. But there are some features of tho returns which are. not eo satisfactory. The large increase in the revenue is due to tho higher charges, and not to increased business. Indeed, tho business done seems on the whole to be substantially less than in 1915. For the period under review decreases (as compared with 1915) are shown under several headings. The increases were: Cattle, 13,748 head; calves, 523 head] wool, 6-180 tons; grain, 165 tons; merchandise! 201 tons;

minerals, 1672 tons. That is to 6 ay, whore there hare been increases they hare been comparatively trifling, except in the case of wool. The decreases were : Passengers, 109,746 ; dravs, 311 ; sheep. 397,383; pigs, 2535; chjff, limej etc.. 55.109 tons; firewood 1757 tone; timber, 20.f>13 tons. Being thug required to do less business, it was only to be expected that the expenditure should decrease. It seems to us, however, that the decrease in the expenditure is hardly what it might have been. It is less than 3 per cent. No doubt we should feel grateful that it has not actually cost more to cope with the lessened business, but it was never expected by the public that the' railways were to be made profit-producing solely through increased charges. It was supposed that the Department would help by saving money. The dissatisfaction of the Drivers' Unions with the recent award appears to have taken a rather serious shape. The Auckland Union has given notice (of a strike by way of protest against the Court's decision, and the local drivers have resolved to make common cause with their fellow-unionists in the North. The wages fixed by the Court may not be as good as the average of other trades, but most people will refuse to believe that | the Court's decision was given without a proper regard for the facts of the case. Accordingly, the men are not likely to win public sympathy by allegations that "the Court's decision is wholly biased in the employers' favour," and assertions that "the Arbitration Court is simply a bulwark of protection for the exploitation of the working class, and the perpetuation of sweated conditions of employment. 7 ' l3uch a statement as thi-s we must describe as absurd on the face of it. Nobody can believe it, for nothing is better known than that the Arbitration Court has steadily raised the wage level for many years.

The local drivers have passed a resolution urging the Government t 0 appoint a Commission to enquire into all the facts in connexion •with the drivers' dispute. It -will be -with difficulty that anyone will believe that all tho facts in tho men's favour were not put before tho Court. And if there are no further facts to bo submitted, -we cannot perceive that a Commission is likely to be a more just and competent tribunal than the Court who.so solo concern is the investigation of industrial disputes. Presumably the drivers are bound bv the new award, and anything i n the nature of a strike will be a breach of tho law. It need hardly bo said that the public just now will llave oven loss patience than usual with a strike, and anything like the general transport strike that seems to be hinted at in one of the Canterbury union's resolutions will do tho cause of trade-unionism onormous harm. For this reason we trust that no precipitate action will be taken, and that the drivers will remember that no worker ever" obtained a ha'porth 'of good from tho efforts of those extreme agitators who arc alwavs I on the look-out for trouble. I