RAILWAY COMMISSIONERS.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 17 October 1924, Page 4

RAILWAY COMMISSIONERS.

TOUR' THROUGH TARANAKI. A special train conveying the English railway experts, Sir Sam Fay and. Sir Vincent Raven, arrived at Hawera from New Plymouth at 4.38 p.m. yesterday afternoon in the course of their inspection of the New Zealand railway system. The commissioners were accompanied by Mr. R. McViily (general manager of railways), Mr. E.. Gillon (chief mechanical engineer), Mr. F. done-, (chief engineer), Mr. S. T. Murison (locomotive engineer) and Mr. G. J. Bertinshaw (district engineer. Wanganui). - The party remained a,t the Hawera station for nine minutes and then proceeded to Wanganui, and last .night were to continue their journey to Auckland, Thames, Botorna and thence to the North Auckland district. It is a pity that the opportunity of meeting the Commissioners was missed. Our Wellington correspondent telegraphed, and it was published in Wednesday’s Star, that the Commissioners would visit Taranaki and that they would work down from New Plymouth to Wanganui. A Star reporter made enquiries, if anything was being clone, lmt found that no representatives of the Borough Council or the Chamber of Commerce were to meet the Commissioner’s. The few minutes that the train stayed at Hawera would have been sufficient for points concerning requirements to "liave been placed before the visitors, who might also have consented to a motor run through the town. When it is considered that the Commissioners weremet at New Plymouth and Stratford, one' feels that a good opportunity was missed by Hawera. * After completing the inspection of the North Island they cross to the South Island to inspect the southern . railways. Some evidence is being gathered from railway officials during the tour, and further data will be gathered in Wellington when the tour of inspection has been completed. HIGHLY QUALIFIED EXPERTS. Sir Sam Fay is chiefly noted in the railway world as the man who made, the Great Central. As the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway,: it was net a very successful line,' and the extension to London called not only for a change of name, but for the most enterprising management'. Sir Sam Fay, who had specialised in the traffic side of railway work on the Londhn and South-western. and who had brought the Midland and South-western Junction Railway out of almost hopeless difficulties, becoming in 1898 superintendent of the "South-western Line, in 1902 was appointed general manager of the Great Central. He continued jn that- position for upwards of twenty years, retiring'on the entrance of the. | line into the great group of railways known as the London and Northeastern. He was knighted in 1912 at the opening of the Immingham Dock. During the war he held the vitally-impor-tant position of Director-General of Movements and Railways, add was largely responsible for the exceedingly successful handling of war traffic under most difficult circumstances.. which has ' drawn praise from all observers? Sir Sam is also interested in railways outside Britain, being a director of the Buenos Aires Western and Buenos Aires Great 'Western railways in Argentina. Sir Vincent Raven has been distinguished in another branch of railway work, namely, the mechanical side. Be retired last year from the position of . technical adviser to the London and North-eastern groiip, but prior to that, he was for many years chief mechanical engineer of the North-Eastern Railway, in which office lie was responsible for many important developments in locomotive engineering. The three-cylinder locomotive was brought to great perfection by him, and he also specialised in the electrification of railways, visiting the U.S.A. in that, connection. During the war he had charge of work at Woolwich Arsenal, and was knighted for his services. ■. The party are all equipped with practical experience of ‘railways, arid Mr Travers is editor of the well-known journal, The Railway Engineer, and connected with other railway publications.