THE RAILWAY SERVICE

Southland Times, Issue 19653, 2 October 1922, Page 5

THE RAILWAY SERVICE

A REPLY TO OUTICS. (Special to the ’rimes). CIIRLSTCHUR.CH, Septenflier 30. Criticism of the critics of the Railway De* partment was- voiced at- a gathering of railwaymen to-day to bid farewell to Mr W. Stringleman, the retiring District Traffic Manager. Mr W. O. Eunis, Assistant-Traffic Manager, said the Railway Iteparlment could not expect to control the motor carriage of goods. The Department was not the only concern that was suffering from the depression. This week’s papers showed that the Kaiapui Woollen Company and the New Zealand Farmers’ Co-op. Association were going through a period of dcpreKsin. The bulk of the criticism levelled at the Railway Department- was unfair, lietMUise when one drew a parallel with outside organisations on a large scale it was found that the Department's condition was nol unique, yet these firms were not- subjected to criticism as the Department was. Perhaps that was one of the drawbacks of being a |Hiblic servant, and it made one sometimes wish be had never had anything to do with the service. A good deal had been said a)>out the assistance the Department would get if boards erf bueines- men controlled it. Their assistance would be valuable to a certain extent only. It would l>e like asking a railway to manage the Kaiapoi Woollen Company to ask a busiuestf man to control the Railway I>epartment. ’/he criticism was unfair because it was through the efforts of a lot of Inisi lies® men that so many non-paying railway lines had been built. Business men forgot that they were responsible for that state of affairs. They were responsible for th? overcapitalisation of the railway service. .Mr Stringleman said he believed a better time was coming for the Railway Department. 'There would be more sympathy l>etwecn the public and the Department. The i policy of standing oft and throwing iwicka ) would vanish, and the public would manifest more sympathy with the Department.

NEW ZEALAND PRODUCE MARKETS IN EVROI’E i AN INVESTIGATOR'S REPORT (Per United Press Awocmtion.) AUCKLAND, September !M>. ; Mr Robert Arthur, who \ isited Engi land on behalf of a wide section of New Zealand producers, returned by the Uli- | mania yesterday. He slates that he visited mos’. of the large business homv*s lin England and Scotland. “As far a? a I market for New Zealand produce is con- | cerned,” he said, "we cannot hope to do much on the Continent until cwliiuige i$ I stabilised. Denmark, Norway, and SwedeT ; have a ready market on the Continent i for all they can produce. Generally speaking, London is stiff the dumping ground for the produce of the world. A lot of j»oor stuff is sent there against which New Zealand produce has to eonqiete. J n . vestors have confidence in New Zealand’s future because it is not a manufacturing place to any extent. If there is anothei war a country like New Zealand which exports food, will suffer least.”