LABOUR VIEWS

Hokitika Guardian, 18 June 1938, Page 6

LABOUR VIEWS

(Contributed by Publicity Committee, Hokitika branch of N.Z. Labour Party)

This week let us deal with our railways, the largest single industrial and commercial unit in the Dominion and the’largest employer of labour, there being almost twenty thousand workers on the staff. Their workshops besides doing a great deal of the manufacturing and maintaining of their plant are capable of undertaking other work, evidence of which is seen at Arahura and Kanieri. it is well to remember that they aie administered as a public serv ice ill preference to a profit making institution, and while after La first year of office their operating profit was roughly 2 per cent., and they paid over one million pounds to the Consolidated Fund, they expect no laurels for it, as it is Labour’s desire to have merely a self-supporting (if possible) system operating on a satisfactory basis. Now let us" quote some of Labour’s actions during its first year of office.

1 Other Government Departments must use the Railways wherever possible and any work for them witnm the capacity of their workshops is undertaken by that concern. 2. The * rolling stock programme speeded up bv 650 waggons. 3 Reopening of Mamaku null. 4. Restoration of salary cuts to employees.

5. Introduced a. forty-hour week

6. Installed railcars on several routes. This has had an advantageous effect where travel over long routes 1 was tedious in past years. There is every indication that for future passenger traffic, railcar's will be the order of the day and this speedy service in conjunction with the long week-end duo to the forty-hour week, should make weekend excursions frequent and popular. In conjunction with the Public Works Department, more and more lines are being opened up, especially those that were dosed during depression years. Among these include Napier-Gisborne, Westport-Inangalnia, Wharanui, Piinnassus, Paeroa-Pokeno and Okoia-Tur-akino lines. In some cases the above lines pass through or open up productive country, and none of these lines have bush valley villages such as Glenhope for their terminal Had this particular line been continued to Murchison it is reasonable to believe that the loss on this section would not have been so great.

As to the charge for fares, these have not been altered by the present i Government, and we at least give past ; administrations credit for having in- | stitnted fares at reasonable rates, fares that are claimed to be the lowest in the world. Not only has Labour I agreed with this, but it lias given to the people the superior travel of the railcars at ordinary second class rates. J Despite the disastrous repetition of j accidents that have befell the departmeut in recent -e v erv" reason to believe that the railway service will have a bright, serviceable and perhaps prosperous future.