RAILWAY APPOINTMENT

Evening Star, Issue 20256, 17 August 1929, Page 15

RAILWAY APPOINTMENT

ASSISTANT GENERAL MANAGER MR M. OEHMEHV SELECTED Mr 11. Dcmicliy, I-a'v Oflim- far tin. Railway Department,' has been- appointed Assistant General Manager ol Railways. This was made yesterday by the .Mon. W. J 3. Taverner (Minister of Railways). ■ , Mr Donnehy, in bis position of Law Officer, was also in charge of the lands branch of the, department. During the General Manager’s recent visit to .'Australia ho was in charge of the administrative affairs of the department. in the course of his service as Law Officer, lie came closely into contact with the transport, problems of the’ department which have loomed so in its affairs during recent years. Ho was engaged on the lands side of the department’s business at the time when large areas were ,taken over by the department for extensions of the service, particularly at Auck-

laud and Christchurch, Mr Dennehy watf a member of the Superannuation Fund Board for some years, being later appointed secretary of the board. His connection with staff matters is somewhat unique. He was actively connected with the Railway Officers’ Institute during fifteen years, and the last position he occupied in it was that of president. ’ He was the officers’ representative on .some of the principal boards which considered the questions of salaries and working conditions in the railwys—namely, the inquiry condueled by Mr Justice (now Sir Walter) ' Stringer in 1919. and also that conducted by Mr (now Sir George) Elliot. Mr Dennehy’s close association with staff questions has thus proved, and, will continue to prove, of great value to the department. As Law Officer, practically all the department’s problems passed through' his hands; This position has become more important recently, owing to the development of such phases of, railway activity as the through booking of passengers and. goods and road transport. All those new activities called for legal guidance as to the powers and authorities vested in a State Department in relation to the general transport question. It is interesting to note that the present General Manager (Mr H. H. Sterling) at one time occupied the position of Law Officer for the department. It is generally recognised that study and knowledge of the law assist towards the development, of that breadth of vision so necessary in dealing with the large issues of present-day business enterprise. In this respect, Mr Dennehy’s lung period of training lias developed capacities and qualifications that specially suit him for the work in hand. He joined the service as a t cadet in 1891 at Christchurch, and was stationed at Waipawa, Waipukurau, Invercargill, ‘Wellington, and Wanganui, In 1915 lie was promoted to the department’s land branch in Wellington, and two years later was appointed Assistant Land Officer for the department, a poision which he occupied until 1921. After serving as Land Ofh cer for three years, he was promoted to the position of Law Officer, a post which he has held-until the present time.