RAILWAY MATTERS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 9086, 21 June 1888, Page 5

RAILWAY MATTERS.

INTERVIEW WITH MR. MITCHELSON THE RECENT RETURNS. MINISTERIAL EXPLANATION. THE CHIEF COMMISSIONER. LETTER FROM THE AGENTGENERAL. THE RAILWAY BOARD. [by telegraph.—special correspondent.] Wellington*, Wednesday. As there seems to be a misundersanding tainting in some quarters in Auckland as to the railway returns of the colony for the past two months, I took occasion to interview the Minister of Public Works to-day. The facte, so far as I could gather them, Bra as follow : — MR. MITOHELSON'S EXPLANATION. The North Island railways show a slight increase for May, as against the corresponding month of the previous year, but the principal increase is in tho South Island, owing to the large quautity of grain carried on the railways there. In fact, a larger Suantityof grain was carried in that month mn has been carried in the same month of any previous year in the history of the colony. There were but twenty-eight working days in it, as compared with thirty working days in the previous year, yet the gross revenue for May last was £SB,OOO, as compared with £79,000 for May, ISS7. The expenditure for May this year was £49,000, as against £55,000 last year. As far as the two months of April and May List are concerned, the gross revenue has decreased by £14,683, and the gross expenditure. by comparison with the two corro-

ponding months of the previous year, (inows a decrease of £13,000. The net decrease for the two months is only £819. THE RAILWAY CHIEF COMMISSIONER. The Government, I understand, have just received communications from the AgentGet.eral stating his belief that the appointment of commissioner at £2500 a-year would be perfectly useless, as the Government would not get a good man for the money. He suggests that it. is possible to do so, but not for loss than £3500. Even then the two railway authorities who have been advising him decline, after perusing the provisions of the Railway Management Bill, to accept the responsibility of appointing the commissioner ; and he (Sir Dillon Bell) must also decline to accept the responsibility, as so much is involved in it financially to the colony. All that the three parties propose to do is to make a recommendation, if, in their opinion, a suitable candidate presents himself, leaving with the Government the tinal responsibility. It seems, therefore, after all, that, even at £3500 a-year, the colony, to a certain extent, will have to take e leap in the dark. THE RAILWAY BOARD. The Past says to-night:—"A rumonr is current that the Government have abandoned the idea of importing a railway expert to fill the office of Chief Commissioner of Railways, and intend to appoint their political supporters to seats on the Board. The gentlemen named are : Colonel Trimble, of Taranaki, formerly a member of the House; Mr. Wright, of Ashburton, civil engineer ; and Mr. Nicoll, of Invercargill." It denounces the affair as a gross job. From Inquiries I have made I learn that the rumour is without foundation. What has evidently led to it is the fact that as an alternative scheme to the Railway Board of the present Railway Management Bill, if it was found impossible to procure a Chief Commissioner of Railways, a Board of Advice, consisting of five commercial men, might be associated with the General Manager, having consultative powers. The three gentlemen above named were recommended out of five from three differwit provincial centres, as being suitable persons for seats on such a Board. I understand that the members of the Ministry are not unanimous as to the advisability of adopting this alternative scheme.