RAILWAY MANAGER.

Gisborne Times, Volume LXVIII, Issue 10733, 2 November 1928, Page 8

RAILWAY MANAGER.

PREMIER MR. STEP LING’S A PPOLVTMENT. “WILL EARN HJS* SALARY.” to the Times.) XGAEI'A WA Hi A. Oct, 31. “The whole thing does not amount to a. row of pins, and there are men in the railway service who have been treated far more generously than has Mr. Sterling,” said the Prime Minister (Mr. Coates) at Tuakau yesterday, when dealing with the attempts of the Labor party to make political capital over the appointment of Mr. 11. M. Sterling as genera] manager of the Railway Department in succession to the Railway Board. Tho Prime Minister said he understood the burden of the criticism was that the government had anticipated the sanction of Parliament to the appointment of a general manager 4n place of the hoard; that Mr. Sterling was appointed at a salary ol £3500 a year; and that the. gap in his superannuation payments had been bridged. • Tho government, he said did not have to wait for the authority of Parliament to make administrative appointments. . The chairman of flic board bad tendered bis resignation and the period of service of tho other members was due to expire in a short period'. To have re-engaged them for another twelve months or so would not have given thorn any encouragement to make headway in the. development of .the railways and it had been decided to got Mr. Sterling as general manager and he, as Minister of Railways, had approached the directors of the N. Z. Co-operative Dairy Company to ascertain whether they would release him. Reluctantly they had acceded to his representations and the offer had then been mVido to Mr. Sterling. As Minister, he had faith in Mr Sterling, who had had the unique experience for a railway man of having been in the position of a user of the service. With regard to his superannuation, ail that had happened was that, on his retirement from tho railways to join the dairy company, Mr. Sterling had drawn tho amounts he had paid in. When he re-joined the service, he had to pay back the money he had drawn, plus interest and six per cent. “Air Sterling will retire On superannuation in actually the same manner as other members of the railway service” the Prime Minister continued. “He has to serve Ins period of forty years, before lie will he able to draw the superannuation he will be entitled, to, which will amount to about £2300 a year. He has now completed 27 years’ service, so that he has still some time to go. As for the salary of £3500' a year, well I don’t like it, but I believe we have got a man who will do the job and wiJ’ earn that amount and that, nc will have the full confidence of the public and of the other members of tho service. Apart from anything .that the Labor parly may say, the Minister of Railways is the one to judge an-' the responsibility is on him. I think Iho present Minister of Railways will be. in that job for quite a long time yet and von may be sure he will keen his eye upon Air. Sterling. ~ ~ v voice: “Ho does not need