Grey River Argus THURSDAY, March 22, 1928. THE CONTROL OF THE RAILWAYS.

Grey River Argus, 22 March 1928, Page 4

Grey River Argus THURSDAY, March 22, 1928. THE CONTROL OF THE RAILWAYS.

The scheme of rail way reorganisation which, after the specially imported Commission from the Old Country, came into being with a flourish of trumpets, does not appear to be fulfilling expectations. There is something radically wrong at the top. With the increase of higher officials, it was to have been expected that no. great burden would rest with anv particular individual in that quar-

ter, but the Railway Board seems to be going to pieces. Much significance attaches to the news that two of the three heads of the Department are throwing up the sponge. _ Ihrst, Mr 1< E. Jones, the ( hairman, applies to be released from office, and it is now understood that Mr A. W. Mount, the Staff member of the Board’ has followed suit. Although he goes out on superannuation, Mr Jones has not become entitled to retire on that basis, because a retirement by eflluxion of time means the attainment of the superannuation age, or the conclusion of an engagement for a stated period Ln many quarters there is scepticism over the explanation which the Minister of Railways has given that the Chairman’s reason for wishing to be relieved of his position is ill health. Likewise there is scepticism at the statement of Mr Coates that Mr Mouat has not made an application for permission to retire from the Railway Board. There is a widely-shared opinion that the same explanation | will do for both cases. The Prime I -Minister is scarcely living up to | his professed motto of getting . things done in this particular Department of his, because the boosted new plan of railway control is working far otherwise than according to schedule. One objection that has been raised to the manner of its inauguration has been that the selections for the Board , ivere not by any means the wisest ones possible, it being considered I hat the engineering element was too well represented, and other sections of the service more or less ignored. Presumably Messrs Jones and Mouat are disappointed with the results of the new scheme of management. The requests to be released at very short notice indicate as much. But there are probably more things to consider. Has the Minister backed up lhe Boaril, or has he come into conflict with it, and done things over its head? As things are, the version of the matter given by the Minister is the one before the public, but it would be very interesting if the other side were made known. The Board members might put a different complexion upon the results of their endeavours to increase the revenue of the service and recover the ground that has been lost. Is the Board doomed? The next step may be a proposal to put the service under Commissioners. * The present Government is very .ond of Commissions on all sorts

of questions, from finance to “foreign” policy. If the truth proves to be that the Railway Hoard’s hands were tied, it may mil lie easy to secure the best type of men for the controlling ftosts in future. The head of the Government has had a long innings in charge of the Kailway Department. and he has it now in a nice pickle. The charges are very high anil the service is not what it might be. How the new plan is going to work out in the long run it is hard to say, but judging by present results its destination limy prove to be the scrap heap.