CORRESPONDENCE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIV, Issue 8928, 17 December 1887, Page 3

CORRESPONDENCE.

RAILWAY BOARD OP COMMIS SIONERS. i TO 3PK EDITOR.

Sib, —After many years of waiting, the long-suffering settlers of this colony are likely to obtain some redress. The authority to appoint a board of - commissioners, if rightly used, will help materially in facilitating the settlement of the country. To put the matter clearly, if some of the old officials who have been spending their time in preparing a tariff to obstruct traffic are now placed in positions as commissioners for a term of years, the present difficulty and loss to the oountry may be intensified. Bat on the other hand, if good and capable men are appointed, the traffic on our railways can be very materially increased, and the financial returns show some fair interest on the cost. It would be just as sensible for a merchant to appoint the architect or builder of his warehouse to take the position of manager of his business as for our governing authorities to place as traffio manager of our railways a man whose only qualification is that of Civil engineer. The latter is indispensable fbr the work of construction, but far different qualities are required for managing traffic. If we send to Europe or America we may gefc some one with excellent testimonials who would be completely lost in grappling with the development of traffio in the peculiar circumstances of this young colony. One of the best men, if not the best man in these colonies for the position of Chief Commissioner, is Mr. F. Back, now General Manager of the railways in Tasmania. With him should be associated two olear-headed aative bminess men, who have none of the traditions of the service to unlearn, but who would bring sound business abilities to bear on the whole of the railway system. Men of this stamp would do their utmost to popularise our railways. If a settler was getting a truck-load of goods from Auckland they would make some rebate on the ordinary oharge if he loaded the truck for the return journey, like any ordinary oarrier would do as a matter of course in general carting. Under the present system the empty truck is returned to Auckland and sent baok to the same station when required, there being no inducement held out for settlers to load up the tracks for the return journey. In ocn<« elusion I would say everything depends on the seleotion of the men for the position. The salaries of £1500 and £1000 per annum will be found ample, and if the present Ministry will appoint good men for the position, irrespective of party or influence, they will confer a benefit on the colony second only in importance to their retrenchment scheme.—l am, etc., T.A,

| ADVERTISEMENT. ] THE SUN WORK, TO THE EDITOR.

Sib,—ln thanking "Colonus"for bringing my name so prominently before the public I hasten to assure him of two things : —Firstly, that the honour he has done me in flinging at me two long columns of mixed abuje, vulgarity, and fallacies in answer to my few hastily written remarks, of the Bth instant, is by me entirely unsought for; secondly, that I oannot follow him any further. He is paid for his lines, and the longer they are the better for his pocket, the vvy opposite in true of mine; he can employ auxiliaries such ha I named, above, I of anot; he can stoop to piok np defective crumbs of German • English whilst any English-German would be safe from me. It may be asked, why should I ex« pose myself to the pen of " Colonuu" when 1 know the disadvantages I labour under ? My answer is that I never should have exposed " Colonua" did I not know the very great harm he is doing to the public by his fallacies. My position is exaotly that of one of the crowd who, knowing that a certain vendor of sham articles is imposing upon the credulous multitude, utters a few words of warning to the latter. We could not expect honest wholesale housed to try end put down criers in the street,* though the latter challenge them at 'Jir top 01 their voices, But cne thing can be done; the vendor in question, if he has snob unbounded faith in his sham artioles, can send them home and take the opinion of the highest manufaaturing authorities about them, I challenge " Colon us "to exert hie influence towards getting last week article inserted in a firsc-claas London paper(about to-day's article as connected with my name he can please himseli)—in, order that we may see whether the maxim, "Anything is good enough for Colonials" is convertible into *' Anything is good enough for Londoners." Until he has made this interesting and highly desirable experiment I have nothing i more to aa) about his version of " The Sun's Work." am, &c., R. Frickb, ! Penrose, December 16, 18S7-