RAILWAY ADMINISTRATION.

Evening Star, Issue 19844, 18 April 1928, Page 2

RAILWAY ADMINISTRATION.

TO TUB EDITOItSir, —Living as 1 do quite close to “ Coates's Meccano Model, 1 * I have naturally been curious as to the outcome of the tremendous expense at present being authorised by the Coates Government in the so-called improvements at Hillside. One wonders if the general public really understands the enormous waste that will eventuate when these works arc going at top. At tlio present time there are machines »ilready installed which are easily coping with the present demand. In fact, one machine in particular had been operated for over twelve months, and the work is not there to extend it. Jo help cope with the want of work for this machine the Government, in its wisdom, has indented eight more _similar machines. Speaking to an engineer of some note who knows all the wflys and adiereiorcs, here is what he prophesies: Once Hillside is in full working order, the machines will in live years turn out so much work that they will in the mam bo standing idle for another live lor want of work. Not only that, there will ho enough machinery at Hillside to do all the work at Hillside and also a goodly portion of similar work lor outside Dunedin. A tremendous amount of moiicv is going into a large crane which w'll enable a locomotive to ho lifted from one line lo aimthev. Quo wonders how often this will be necessary, and docs it warrant this great Lcaviim the works one lurks back to the Control Board. Has it ever struck von, sir. when appointments arc made to the Railway Hoard how many ol the nominees are just on the veigo o superannuation? Quite recently too chairman retired alter three or tom years. What radical changes ami improvements have been made m that time? When Mr Spidoy was introduced as now blood with his slogan “the ri'dit man on the right machine to do the right work in the right tune what chance had ho to get this into force’ Placid with men who lor years had been currying on, is it reasonable to suppose that they are going to admit their policy in the past has been wrong? And they so near superannuation He may ho allowed to cnticiso thoir policy when they are out oi the service, but us long as they are in the Government .service so long, us lai as they are concerned, aro matters to stay in the same rut. Then what happens when they do retire? Another batch of railway officials aro appointed And so it goes on down to the woilman. You are foreman this year; yon ictiio and it is my turn, and so on ad infinitum. As one railway hand put it to me, “ r can see my bosses lor the next ten years, he they good, bad, or Indifferent, unless the Lord takes a hand in eliminating a low. lake, tor instance, a man on a lathe. He joins the service, attends technical schools, reads all available literature possible on his work. He studies all classes of steel and iron, speeds, the use of a micromotor, and all work incidental to lathe-work. He could educate himself until he becomes a walking compendium of all that appertains to lathe work-in short, an export. Ho 'is, say, No. 2o on D. 3. Dor all his knowledge he will be superannuated himself before his turn comes to bo leading hand. And those above him arc going to see ho does not jump out of his turn. Whenever an apprentice joins the service lie can put his finger on the day when he will bo promote'!. That is when all those it ho joined before him either die or axe superannuated. To me the whole system seems like a block of concrete. There is no incentive for brains, no reward for industry ; just layer on layer, and your turn comes when all the layers above you aro. wiped off. Waste ol brains, waste of fime, and as wc know when we see the railways dipping every year into consolidated revenue, waste ol money. New Zealand to-day is sadly in want of a strong, statesmanlike, .Minister of Railways, one who is strong enough to dominate the department, and not be dominated; one who is prepared to abandon tho length of soil ice promotion and award it lo brains. .Quo often hears onr railway hands criticised, hut they are the product of a hidehound. reil-tapcism wind) has hound the tierviec into a system which the workers must submit to. There are plenty of brains and initiative amongst the railway hands, but, the Do list keeps thorn 'in the one line; so why . should they exert themselves to assist the railways to pay when the heads put on the brake? The only increase that I can see when reorganisation began Avns Jin enormous increase in iuteimcdiate bosses. , . , . ... The latest craze is the sick benefit for railway hands* for every tOs subscribed the department proposes lo subsidise the amount by 10s up to an annual subsidy of £B,OOO per annum. Where is the department going to get this £3,000 per annum? At the present time and for many years previous the "oneral public has been taxed to pav the losses on the railways; every year for rears enormous sums have been taken out of the consolidated revenue to subsidise the superannuation scheme. And now it is proposed to lane up to annually £B,OOO of the taxpayers money to subsidise the sick benefit society'for tbo railway hands. \\ by cannot'thc railway employees finance thenown society, as other societies do. is it fair that the general public should be taxed to provide sick benefit tor a certain section of the public, and not be able to accrue any benefit to tliemso ves from the society? If tins is not class legislation i do not know what is One would not be surprised d the depaunient showed a profit, ai. a portion ol that profit being given in some way to the employees, but when each year a deficit is shown then it is a case of civiim awav what you have not got. Onr railways can never pay under present administration, ami taking into consideration the possibilities at the competition by electricity or petrol in the near future, to anybody with ordinary brains Hie enormous expenditure on'workshops is just absoUitely waste of money. Hut time will tel . In vhe meantime wc must pay and g'"’am, etc., ' L - jH ’ April 17.