THE RAILWAYS ADMINISTRATION.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 15301, 15 November 1911, Page 4

THE RAILWAYS ADMINISTRATION.

Sin,—Seeing that ll» Minister of Railway will ioon bo offoring his dofenco of the Ministry, arid Ids. own defence in particular, I'tfculd, t» n pick-nnd-shoycl marHihl man, bo obliged if the Hon. Mr Millar would condescend to answer the following questions.— . 1. What nro the benefits tho public haa derived from the sailways lineo Mr Millar fins' Iwii Minister! 2. 1 What benefits do tho working man get throunh tho reduction of long-tfetanco fares! 3. Why aro the railways, which belong to tha people, run to pleaso Mr Millar and to iho disadvantage of tho rank-and-file of tHo'inhabitants oi "God's own couptry *'? 4. \Vli7 did hot Mr Millar, that /great man of principle, stick to his word when ho fnid that the minimum word for raidway omplovees would bo 9s ft daj ? > 5. Why 'did Mr Wllar jnvo enginedrivers, guards, and others a rise of Is per Jay. whilst the poor, hard-working surfacoman, with fix or seven or more of n family, got the enormous aum of twopence and one fartldng. Married surfacemen wcro receiving & 3Jd, or 3jfd per ilai more than siniflo men. Thov aro now Retting 8s 3Jtk plus 21d (Mr Millar's big increase to married men), or fs 6d per day, _ Tho suiglo mon before tho rise wcro receiving 8s per day. but thov now pel 8«. plus 6d (tho new riw). In other xyorth, married men got a risa of 2M to bring up tttoir families, and siirlo men cot a rise of 6d becauso they havo no children to roar. No wonder if tho population should dr-crtsso. 6. I challenge Mr Millar to provo tliat Ijo can mako tho railways pay without first f»kin? uwny the privileges formerly enjoyed by radwav employees! and, secondly, without hampering tho common® of tno Dominion, increasing freights cutting oft trains, and delaying merchandise for three or four days that used formorlv go to its destination by first train. Why, anyono could mako tho railways pay by doing as Mr Millar did, and even Wlor.—l am, eta. Father of Five. N .veinber 8.