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Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1026, 16 January 1911, Page 4

While upon this subject, wo should express our indebtedness to the Review for its reproduction of some very interesting extracts from the evidence taken by the Railways Committee of tho Houss of Representatives when the Locomotivc Association's petition'for official recognition was considered. _ There is much illumination in this extract from Mil. G. W. Russell, M.P.'s examination of Mr. .Veitch, the President of tho Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants:

Do you not' know; that tho olTcct 'of that change—the railways being brought under Ministerial control—brought in the whole of us politicians as battlers'for-the'rail-waymenr—No, I did not know anything of the kind. Take, for example, myself; are you not aware that I was tho author of tho great D 3 list?—No. ' :

Weil, I might tell you that I was. Are you not aware that in 1895, when the Bill was going through, there was?a large party in the House, consisting of.Mr. Joyce, all the Christcliurcli members, and myself, representing the Dunedin workshops at that time, which brought all- the pressure we could?—l object to words being, put into my mouth. • Are you not aware that in 1895 the railways were taken over from the Commissioners (\nd put under the control of the Ministry, and that ever since then railway influence has been exerted. through r,embers of Parliament for the benefit of tho men?— The interests of the Amaigan.atcd Society have been exerted in that direction, certainly.

It must not he supposed that Mr. Russell is ashamed of being a. "bat-, tier" or.at'all displeased becauso the day of the "battler" was - formally inaugurated. Than the extract quoted there could-hardly be a more scathing indictment of the system'of political control of the railways and of the political standards of the day.