RAILWAYS BOARD.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20900, 16 June 1931, Page 8

RAILWAYS BOARD.

first meeting to-morrow

MUCH PRELIMINARY WORK

SCOPE OF AUTHORITY. [BY TELEGRAPH. —OWN CORRESPONDENT.] WELLINGTON, Monday. The first meeting of the newly appointed Government Railways Board will be held in Wellington on Wednesday. The chairman, Colonel J. J. Esson, will preside, but there will ho no formal addresses such as marked the first meeting of the Unemployment Board last November. In addition to the chairman the members who will assemble for the first meeting will be Sir James Gunson, the Hon. E. Newman and Messrs. D. Reese and D, W. Reid. Formal questions will occupy the board for the first few meetings, as a great deal of preliminary attention will naturally have to be given to the scope of the board's authority and the administrative aspect of railways control before definite steps in the direction of framing a policy can bo taken.

It has been arranged that the board will hold an informal conference with the Prime Minister, Bight Hon. G. W. Forbes, some time to-morrow when the change over in control will bo discussed and attention given to the power reserved to the Minister of Finance. Under the Government Railways Amendment Act it is laid down that the board shall confer with tho Minister 6f Finance from time to time concerning its financial policy, and in this policy the board is to be guided by the Minister

It is understood that one of the first questions to be considered by the board will be that of lines under construction. Under the Act the board is empowered to make recommendations to Parliament concerning these lines.