RAILWAY MANAGEMENT.

New Zealand Times, Volume LVII, Issue 2411, 17 January 1895, Page 3

RAILWAY MANAGEMENT.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir, —Some of the gossips who ore always ready to get up sensational attacks on the present administration, and sound loud and cry over the doings of the present rulers, one would think from their music that the next boat would see them off. And among the latest howls nttored was re the railway service and the alleged injustice done, as unwise, as unjust, in reference to the changes made. I crave space, .without any bias, to show that in a business way the Civil Servants under every department, who aro paid from the public revenues of the Colony, are not so badly paid after all, and the railway service, from the ticket clerk to the general manager. A gr°»t strain is put upon " export " ability. t hold ths.tthie lad at the' tickej ' requires to be expert there'in seizing ans' taking money'and giving change as it is for the general maiiagor tq direct S?P traffics —the former and doe's, the latter directs and others whom he holds responsible do the work. As a matter of fact, the whole service is routine. If there was any change calling into exercise special brain power or if there was, say, some opposition and trains being dispatched every few minutes the case would be much altered. I note South Australia is quoted as an instance; it would be well t° copy New Zealand in t no matter, the former giving J2150$ against tno latter's, 4800,. There are many comparatively young wen who have graduated in the New Zealand railway service since its iiioeption, just as expert as any that JBISOO would fetch, and they are readjr whon calledjfor. Every man ought to. bo paid fair wages in whatever position jand I hold that .£BOO per annum is good wages for the IJanagerof theKailwaysin this country. The «agiseera of rolling' stock' and permanent way the same may truly be said of i tbem. Tfte JiOsojjjQtive Engineer, by keeping himself up to date and a faithful.man,: oan save much in fuel, in smoke burning, training, careful stoking, and first ooßt and repairs of all under his caro deserves .£SOO or .£OOO par annum, but the Engineer of Permanent Way has much help his district engineers, gangers and bridge inapectora, who practically do the work. Could be deny point blank the. 'assertions.' that lately caused tne'scare, from his own knowledge of the Southern 'bridges f Did he ever on.ce'in flvo years inspect every oulverb and bridge from Auckland to the Bluff. except from a flr»t. olass railway carriage? For the .£IOOO paid for the bervices, J am astonished at the remarks of some of the critics. Now let *w

enquire who pays those salaries. Where do they come from ? —Ecco ! The farmers pay all: either sheep, cattle or cereals, through their instrumentality, pay the lot. What pay do they get ? Last season with grain 34 per cent, below ordinary rates, and in many cases from 20 per cent, to 50 per cent, short yield, also wool and mutton something from G per cent, to 15 per cent, from former rates, I have yet to learn what many of them average per annum. I question but-4200 or less would bo near the mark, to say nothing for capital invested and suspense endured from year to year. I think I have proved that the Civil servants are better paid than those who find the cash. They are not so badly off; they have a steady pay whether it blows or rains; they have no care how the markets fluctuate, their stock-in-trade cannot he stolen; none of their creditors go bankrupt; nothing short of a dip under will stop their revenue. Call a spade a spade irrespective of party, but I think the present Ministry deserves well of the colonists in making the saving they have done, equal to the wages of at least 30 men per annum, and the railway service continues still. The Government are doing, in my opinion, all they can, with all their faults, to undo the blunders of past administrations, the opinion of the Tory journals notwithstanding, I am a voice from the Culvert. N.B. —Since writing the above, I see that Victoria has made retrenchment in her railway service to the extent of 4030,000 per annum. There is work to do for the Government knife here yet.