RUNNING THE RAILWAYS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVI, Issue 17329, 28 November 1919, Page 6

RUNNING THE RAILWAYS.

A CANTERBURY SCHEME. i BOARD OF CONTROL PROPOSED. [BY TELEGBAPH.— PRESS ASSOCIATION.] CHKISTCHURCH, Thursday. At the quarterly meeting of the Chamber of Commerce the chairman, Mr. J. G. Herdnian, said the Railways Com- i mittee of the chamber had given the question of the management of the railways serious consideration, and as a result of its deliberations suggestions as to how the railways should be managed in future had been sent to the other clumbers for ..their approval or otherwise. According to the answers received the proposals of the committee had met, with i tav tunable comment. ! Briefly put, it was recommended that a railways board be appointed to take I over all railways and be responsible to '' the Government and Parliament tor their ' management and construction, the Gov- I nor-General by Orderin-Council to'! exercise a power of veto in respect to I any act of the board which might in the opinion of his responsible officers be con- I trary to the public interest. The board ! would issue annually a commercial balance-sheet. j The proposed board would be composed j of the Minister for Railways, one mem- i ber appointed by the Government (who would be official chairman), two mem- I bers appointed by Parliament and one each by the commercial community, | Federation of Labour and railway employees. The • suggestion of the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce for the appointment of a railway board of control was considered tjy the council of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce yesterday. Upon the recommendation of the Railways Comm'ttee, a resolution was passed expressing the opinion that the scheme was impracticable, and even if it were adopted conditions would not be materially improved, as it was questicnab'e whether the proposed devolution of responsibility for the expenditure of public monies on ra-lways would be in the. best interest of the community in general.