OUR RAILWAY COMMISSIONERS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXVI, Issue 9262, 16 January 1889, Page 6

OUR RAILWAY COMMISSIONERS.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir,—ln a letter published in your columns, and datod November 28, 1887, I used those words:—"lt is very evident that this measure has been concocted by the department, in the hope of prolonging the existence of the present system." Does not the result show that I was right ? For the last eight or ton years our railway policy and management has boon directed by Messrs. Maxwell and Hannay. With this, the whole colony, from the North Cape to the Bluff, has been dissatisfied, and has loudly demanded a change The reply of the Government is practically this : You do not like Maxwell and Hannay. " Well, like thera or no, we will thrust them upon you and will give to them uncontrolled power to deal with you exactly as they please." Formerly you had the right of appeal to Parliament; you - were also protected by maximum rates fixed by law, and by other safeguards. But now we will take away all these safeguards, and will give to Messrs. Maxwell and Hannay, not only uncontrolled power to deal with you just as they think proper, but they shall also have the ri?ht to delegate, the.se tremendous power* to their managers and clerks, and they shall keep no accounts but such as we direct them to.

If we are simple enough to imagine that they will not use these powers for tho benefib of themselves and their friends, we deserve what we shall most assuredly got. The warning that comes to us from England as to what has been done in Victoria ought to be a caution to us. There they have some safeguards : hero we aro to have absolutely none, and I think common sense ought bo teach us nob to trust oursolves to the tender mercies of men who could so craftily contrive to keep themselves in power. It is not yet too late to thwart them, if wo only act promptly.— 1 am, &c, Samuel Vaile. Auckland, 15th January, 1889.