RAILWAYS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 12072, 16 September 1902, Page 3

RAILWAYS.

TO THE EDITOR. Permit me to direct the attention oK your readers to the telegram from Melbourne,. published in your iftstie of the 12th inst. Ifcf states that "The report of the Royal Com-i mission on the management of tho railways': asserts that the experiment of so called non-i political management of the railways had*' not been satisfactory either to the general! public or the employees. The accounts had'' not been properly kept, and did not clearly.; represent the results of the work of the De-' partment. The- merchandise and passenger rates were such as would not be commended by any man of sound business capacity," etc. ' Many will no doubt remember that this is' exactly what I predicted would take'place, when that Commission was appointed, and! also how earnestly I strove to prevent a similar mistake being made here. There can bo no doubt that it was the action of the Victorian Railway Commissioners that created the land boom in Mel-' bourne, from the disastrous effect of which V ictoria has not yet recovered. It is equally certain that the practices introduced by our Commissioners are mainly responsible for the: heavy Joss we are now making on our rail-' «™ hi , oi la * >' ear amounted to over-. ±,1,000,000 sterling. I have no wish to boast,but think that I am entitled to claim that; the utter collapse of the Commissioner system is another prooi that I have correctly studied! the railway problem. I did not speak on this subject with anv uncertain sound, but from the very first predicted its eompleta failure.—l am, etc., Samuel Vailf. Auckland, September 13, 1902.