GOVERNMENT CRITICS.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXXIX, Issue 10887, 27 February 1914, Page 4

GOVERNMENT CRITICS.

MR HERRIES IN REPLY,

Per Press Association,

Wellington, February 26

In an interview to-day, the Hon. Mr Herries, after stating that increases and improved conditions had been granted fo employees on the railway by the present Government, said that a good deal of criticism bad been levelled at the Department owing to the fact that the percentage of working expenses to earnings is abnormally high, while the estimated revenue bad fallen very much short of the forecast. Since the forecast' was made the smallpox epidemic and the strike have had a disastrous effect on the railway revenue, The tendency to increase operating expenses was not peculiar to New Zealand. Had normal conditions prevailed the revenue wonidliave come up to expectations and the "percentage of working expenses would not have shown .a material advance on the percentage for last year. The attempt to fix on the Government the responsibility for shortages in revenue was ungenerous and unjustifiable.