Railway Reformation

NZ Truth, Issue 849, 25 February 1922, Page 1

Railway Reformation

t 'After "serious consideration"* . and. apparently' not without some heartthrobs, the Railway Department has fcade another slash af-its'-time-tables. Hhe-South island service, particularly hfe,s been made the victims of Parliaaient's "serious consideratifan" m tnis, alreotibn, ahd it is now onßy, a matter Of a week "or &o '- when .the through train from .Christohurch to Inyiercargill will Have the; Departmental axe farbpped oh its neck three, days m week; The- fact \of the matter i that the &ew Zealand: railway sysim, and especially the South island ortioh of that disorganisation, is a lost ttoubleSome burden to, the Gd* ernment, not only h>6ause it shows n annual deficit of (nearly £125,000,---ut also beoau3e,*lt. ief ernally. presents: .problem whieh~"the Department is. LUite unable; to handle. An intellicenf ' Government surely must know hat temporary expedients- such as •ohts" m the service are of! little or \o value as a solution of the difficulty which has Of late been wdrrying more ;han one of. our noble' and brainy legislators. The.ohly-" r&wedy which. Sticks out and yellsj for notice is not ■(0 much that wagqs and ; services be sut down as that there should be a oniplete transformation m the mehods of managing . the concern. If lassey and Co sold^.out the. wfcole ox and dice now" to a -priVate firrh or yhdicate,' there's not the slightest oubt that such a firm coulc|: ; and rould give the country an up-to-clate ervice and at th'e. same time make >ots of money. ■ If it didn't do so;' it wouldn't go to its/ customers for the •eason why, but would undoubtedly 'fro to some of thojse at the top of the frifce and ask them to reconstruct their bhsiness methods or take a twentyfive years' holiday without" pay. -