THE RAILWAY APPEAL BOARD.

NZ Truth, Issue 104, 15 June 1907, Page 4

THE RAILWAY APPEAL BOARD.

A QUEER WAY OF ADMINISTERING JUSTICE.

How Appellants are Bullied

and Bounced^

Au Abuse that Needs a Remedy.

In theory, tho State ownership of railways is a. highly desirable and thoroughly democratic, thing ; but in* practice, m New Zealand, at anyrate, it is the source of many abuses. Not merely does the management become bureaucratic m its methods, but political influence plays far. tpo prominent a part m the .administration. On this occasion ho' further reference' will be made to the. latter evil, but "Truth" will deal with one matter which illustrates ;. th 6 farmer. 'We do so not for the purpose; of attacking the manageimcnk, but because the abuso to which we refer involves an unpardonable and fraudulent mis-use of judicial forms. We refer 'to the Railway Appeal Board, which we do not hesitato to denounce as a most impudent and -fraudulent assumption of the garb of Jiistice, for the purpose of perpetrating flagrant injustice. And, lest it may be argued that we have evolved such an idea out ot our own ''inner •consciousness" for the purpose of creating a sensation,, :we may refer; our. readers to the, very pointed i-otnarks , of the Chairman of the ■'.-South Island Appeal Board m March, at the conclusion of the case of McLeod, a cadet at Waikouaiti, Who h^d been dismissed from the service for "having lowered a si:gi>ai without first ascertaining, that the line was clear.*' • Wo do not propose to. review theease; or, indeed," .fo offer any opinion upon it. , The tribunal no doubt dealt With it fairly and according to the evidence. What , we take excßption to is tho procediire^in cbntaee'tion 'with the Boards, and • our readfers nvay judge -for tlMftnselves how- far our strictures are warranted, when they learn the facts. The institution ot ■ the ■ "Railway Appeal B oar d-" 'was tJie butcom c of ageneral desire m the' service for a tribunal to which employees who felt they had been unjustly treated BY DISMISSAL-FINE, DEGRADATION; ■•■'■■ o* what hot, migih-ij resort. Nothing 'could- be more justifiable than suGh a desire, and app&reiitly no thing could be more commendable? that the ao-, tion of the Dep^rtnieut ihV setting up such a trihJuMl. Only apparently, however— for -although the Board consisted of a judicial;. oiTieor of high stattdih'g and entirely; unconnected with the railway service; assisted by railway officers ;6l- high standing., although evidence %as taken with care and completeness;^: and although apellahts were allowed ; t^e utmost liberty, both iil teStifyinig, and ci'oss-ox-aminatidn, there Was one provision which neutralise*i:ali t9ie benefit.. It Was this »■ That the Board's- decision Was not to be given pr made public, •but must be sent i out confidentially.; to the Minister of Railtv'ays, m whoso absolute discretion it lay to accept, and to giv© efiecti'to, 4foe finding,; or to teoect it. atbogebher. 'Thus the • Minister cons-t-itutod himself . ju-dgo m his .own', case-. ! Why was it necessary to go through :^ie,;hbllb-w ceremony; of a judicial uri>quiry -at; 6.11 ,\ was not given authority to publish' its dec! si bn, and that decision made binding? Why*,, indeed,? Because the Department' wished to pursue ''■•' ./■.. ■■■. i ITS OWN TYRANNIOAL POLICY Ufoder : the cloalc of justice; No greater fraud was ever perpetrated • v by a Departiment Of the Public Service ; and the wonder is' that /man Of thigh ojiarfyctox who adorn the Judicial j Berich of the colon^ can be found to takd patt m such a travesty of justice.:' ' " ■,-■-■ ; ■ ' . -^ ''Truth" cannot look oh at such a. burlesque, as this without entering a protest against it. The Executive of the. AriValgumated' Society of Ra/ilway Servants is active and vigilant m the interests ,of ■ the : railway men-^ and we are surprised that, m view of; the prevailing disoontent, they have riot boldly tackled this . gtieviance, and oalled upon the, Minister either to abolish this fraudulent tribunal aliogetber, ot i(> invest it with powers consistent with its dignity and' with justice.' Ansd it. is Qhly a little less surprising that anybody should deem it worth ' while to carry an appeal befbre a Court which, instead of having its eyes b&hdaged, has ' -icts hands bound' arid its tongue tiorl. The' Court is an im^udeiiit 'ffaUd and everybody knows it. The Ohairyman of the South Island- Boafd tlie other day said as much m his Closing remarks, as one m4y. see if one ieads 'between the lines of his speech.