RAILWAYS COMMISSION

Greymouth Evening Star, 17 June 1930, Page 5

RAILWAYS COMMISSION

SCOPE OF INQUIRY A WIDE FIELD [PEE PEESS ASSOCIATION.] WELLINGTON, June 17. The Railway Commission is announced as follows: Messrs Masters (Chairman), Hall, McVilly and Marchbanks. Mr N. W. Reid, accountant, Dunedin, was offered a seat, but could not accept owing to health reasons. The order of reference is to inquire and report as to the possibilities of increasing the revenue and decreasing the expenditure of New Zealand railways, and more particularly the 19 matters set out specifically, including general organisation, adequacy of passenger fares, on position regarding concession tickets, goods traffic tariff, carriage of mails, subsidiary . services, such as Lake Wakatipu steamers, refreshment rooms, road motors etc., staffing from the point of view of efficiency and economy; maintenance costs, reserve fund required for depreciation renewals etc., whether rolling stock is being economically maintained at a proper standard, and is the maximum benefit being obtained from workshops recently erected in the four main centres, the matter of stores, whether the abandonment of working either wholly or in part of any portion or portions of the railways system, would be justified, the extent to which coordination of road and rail transport is possible, and desirable generally to review the administration and financial position of the department, and recommend what, if any steps might be taken to secure proper balance of economy, efficiency and satisfactory service. The report is returnable not later, than September 1.

INQUIRY AND STAFF

WELLINGTON, June 16.

“The setting up of this commission of investigation in respect to railway finance,” said the Prime Minister, “is not to be taken as any reflection on the management and staff of the railway service. I recognise that the men who are responsile for the running of the railways are capable and efficient officers, and that they are actuated by a keen desire to get the best possible results from the service both from a financial and public utility point of view. They are not responsible for many of the points of policy, and it is in these directions that the Government feels that there is need for investigation. The Railways administration as such, is not on its trial, as has been suggested in some quarters, but it is the policy with which they have been entrusted which requires overhauling. A large sum of money is required to provide for working railways this year, as indicated in the recent survey of national finances, and it has to be decided how much of that can be justy incurred. What is a fair thing to ask the taxpayer to bear and what economies can be effected in the operation of the railways.”

RETRENCHMENT DENIED

WELLINGTON, June 16.

The Government does not countenance a report that has been circulated to the effect that drastic cuts are to be made in the . railway services, as the result of the General Manager’s (Mr H. H. Sterling’s)' proposals, including the abolition of the daylight limited expresses between Wellington and Auckland, the Christchurch-South express and the Wellington-Taranaki express, also abolition of services on branch lines, including those in the South Island.

“There is nothing in the statement. I have not heard anything about it,” was the brief reply of the Minister of Railways (Hon. W. A. Veitch) when his attention was drawn to these suggestions of railway curtailments. The Minister added that no such statement had been authorised by him.