EX-MINISTER OF RAILWAYS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17729, 13 September 1919, Page 13

EX-MINISTER OF RAILWAYS

FAREWELL TO THE DEPARTMENT. A TRIBUTE TO LOYALTY. Mr W. H. Hemes, on relinquishing office as Minister of Railways, forwarded the following letter fb the General Manager of Railways:— " Dear Mr M'Villy,—On relinquishing my office as Minister of Railways I feel that I must express both to you and to your predecessors in office, Messrs i[ilov and Konayne, my sinoere thanks for the assistance that has always been rendered to me during the anxious times which we have passed through during the seven years in which I have held office. I also desire, through yoru to extend my cordial thanks to all the higher officials and heads of departments who have given me personally, and tho Governments I have had tihe honour to belong to, suoh loyal and splendid service. I wish also, through you, to sincerely thank all the members of the railway service for their loyal and patriotic services to the dominion, especially during the war. No body of men has, I am sure, worked more patriotically and disinterestedly during that period than have the railwaymen of the New Zealand Railways, and I desire to express the gratitude of tho Government for the splendid services rendered by all, from the highest to ifhe lowest I feel sure that when the history of tho war comes to be written the efforts of the Railway Department will be found to have contributed largely to the magnificent response to the call of the Empira made by' New Zealand. " As you kngw, the policy of the department had to be reorganised—traditions hud to bo thrown to the winds, peace ideas bad to be abandoned, and war conditions adopted. The first duty was to release as many men as possible for the front Seven thousand five hundred and twenty-nine men altogether were released, and out of that number 444 laid down their lives. To en able men to be released, all non-essentiai traffio had to bo suspended. Inoonvenierce was necessarily felt by the public, but the Empire s demands for men had to take first place. Everything hod to give way to this and to other war requirements, and the response of tjie department was splendid. All demands made by the Defence Department for transport of troops and supplies were met promptly, and to the entire satisfaction of that department. Imperial supplies had to take preference of other goods, and in no case was any ship kept for its cargo through the fault of the Railway Department. • Subject to war requirements the best service that could bo given to the public was given, and all essential services were continued. " Notwithstanding the suspension of nonessential iraffio to release men, the financial results of the department's operations during the five years of the war have been highly satisfactory, and will bear more than favourable comparison with the results of any of the Australiaii States' systems of railways. Rates of interest of 3£ per cent..

4J per cent., 54 per oent., per cent., and 4>s per cent, have been earned throughout the war years, and the thanks of the Government are certainly due to the department for their successful finance, notwithstanding the paymedt of substantial bonuses to the employees and tho increased cost of ,-tJI materials. " I should like especially to thank, through you, those officers who were connected with the coal _ supply- for the railways. Their responsibilities were eased by tiho fact that at an early stage of the war the duty of supplying coal to the railways, as well as other industries, was token over by tile Munitions and Supplies Department in procuring shipping and cargo, and it is largely due to their efforts that the coal supply, in face of great difficulties, was maintained so long. Unfortunately, circumstances arose which could not have been foreseen either bv the Munitions Department or by tho officers of the Railway Department, and hence the present temporary difficulty. "In conclusion, I desiro to especially thank, through you. the officers and executives of t'»j three railway societies for the uniform courtesy I have received at their hands, and for the temperate and excellent way in which they have placed the opinions of those they represent before the management."