THE RAILWAY COMMISSIONERS AND THE GOVERNMENT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXX, Issue 9230, 19 June 1893, Page 3

THE RAILWAY COMMISSIONERS AND THE GOVERNMENT.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir,—ln asking questions at political meet : ings it is necessary to be brief, and those same questions may have great importance if they could be explained more fully. But it is the invariable rule of the working mail, when one of their own class endeavours to get an explanation, to howl him down. The question I asked Mr. Thompson, M.H.R., at his meeting on Saturday needed some such explanation. A great deal has been said at our late political meetings by the several members who have addressed us about our Railway Commissioners, almost implying dishonesty. Now, I have always understood that all accounts local and general have to pass through the Auditor-General's department, who has great power if he find anything illegal. Therefore there is a direct supervision by the Government. But to my mind the Railway Commissioners have since their appointment done good work. Government patronage had loaded our railways north and south with notoriously inefficient employees, placed there by the influence of members and schemers in the Government employ both high and low. In .reeding out these notoriously inefficient members of the staff, with the placing of whom in the various workshops and stations the Commissioners had nothing to do, and bringing our railway system under more efficient control, the Commissioners have made* no doubt, many enemies. No man, myself included, would like to be put out of a nice, easy, Government berth or workshop, with very little to do. If the Commissioners are not now under sufficient Government control by all means bring them so; but, lam afraid, it will bring us to the old system of patronage, which was, in the long past, the cause of our railway mismanagement—a disgrace to the colony. Anyone with but a modicum of intelligence must see that by the recent appointments to the House of legislature and Justices of the Peace, there is some hidden hand now at work dealing out honours and berths to favourites. —I am, eto,, Henry Phillips t , ■ GUMFIELDS COMMISSION. TO THE EDITOR. Sir,— country correspondent suggests that the Government might provide all country storekeepers with Poa grass seed (which, he says, will almost grow on a concrete floor), and take the best means to enforce or induce diggers to scatter, daring the proper season, some ef this seed over their workings, which, my correspondent conaiders, would reinstate much of the value of the gum lands, and would take the place of the proposed license fee.— am, &c., Beta. Auckland, 16th June, 1893. BROKERS AND SHAREHOLDERS. TO THE EDITOR. Sir,—ln your report of the meeting of the shareholders of the Saxon mine, you mention that Mr. D. B. McDonald opposed the confirmation of the resolution authorising an increase of the capital of that company. 1 was present at the meeting, and noticed that of the six persons who opposed die resolution there were four sharebrokers, namely, Messrs. McDonald, Carrick, Brimblecombo, and Levy. These gentlemen, who are supposed only to buy and sell shares, were in this instance found throwing obstacles in the way of the wishes, as stated by the chairman of the meeting of over 37 shareholders resident on the Thames. It has often been said that Thames mine* were only counters in the hands of the Auckland brokers, and that there was some ground for the assertion is shown by the fact that last session a provision was incorporated in the Mines Act prohibiting brokers from acting as directors of mining companies. It may be necessary in the coming session to pass a law prohibiting brokers from holding shares, when it is seen, as in the Saxon case, they use their power to frustrate the wishes of the great body of the shareholders. It has been admitted by all persons interested in coldmining that it is desirable to have the deep levels tested, and yet factious opposition is met with when the first efforts are made in that direction, namely, the amalgamation of several of the mines on the Thames flat, and for no other reason than because it interferes with the plans of certain brokers. So bitter are the gentlemen named, that it was stated on the Exchange yesterday that one or more of them intend getting legal advice, and will attempt to upset the ruling of the chairman given at the Saxon meeting 011 Friday afternoon. It is matter of common rumour that the objection to the Saxon directors having the power to increase the capital, and purchase the Queen of Beauty mine, is that another company is desirous of securing the same piece of ground, and getting the Saxon uirectors out of the ruuning better terms may be obtained by the other buyer, and the seller will be compelled to take a less price I believe there ia ' good ground for the rumour, and if there is, what can be said of the brokers referred to using their position to defeat the wishes of the majority of the shareholders and the Board of Directors of the Saxon mine? I fear that the action of brokers in this matter will afford outsiders good reasons for refraining from legitimate speculation in gold mines. The many instances that have been known where shares in mines have been raised in price without any reason but a combination of men on the market, and on the other hand when it suited certain cliques valuable shares have been brought down in price, is one of the causes why more legitimate investors are not found dealing in Thames shares. I hope these remarks will show how false is the position taken up by brokers under such circumstances as that of the Saxon, and how detrimental to the best interests of the field is selfishness when displayed by men who \| should help forward instead of retarding mining ventures. —I am, etc., Saxon Shareholder,