RAILWAYS BILL

Stratford Evening Post, Volume IV, Issue 102, 8 April 1936, Page 6

RAILWAYS BILL

SECOND READING-

PERSONAL ATTACKS.

Unfairness Alleged By Opposition.

ABOLITION OF BOARD.

Press Association —Copyright. Wellington, April 7

The silence of Government members was maintained in the second . reading debate on the Government Railways Amendment .Bill, which was' resumed in the House of Representatives, to-night. Not a Government member spoke, Bill until the Minister Railways, the Hon. D. G. Sullivan, replied to the debate. The second reading was carried by 52 vot.es tp 1,7 and the House rose at 12.10 a.m. , .. ~, V Mr. W. P. Ehdean (Opp.,' Parnell) said he considered the -Ministerial attacks on two members of the Railways Board were unfair. They.conveyed the impression that the deputy-chairman in his dual capacity Was not acting fairly, he said, but in reply to a direct 'question the Hon. .R. Semple admitted he- was not making an accusation of crookedness.' " .....

Mr. Endean said he knew Sir James Gunson's character was above reproach. The board must have been responsible; for many improvements under Mr. Sterling's chairmanship. He suggested that Mr. Sterling's knowledge and ability should.still be utilised for the depart-' : ment's benefit. It was one, of tl>e, curses j ! or New Zealand that it had a'huge public debt o'f '£2Bo;OOO;CXto.' Mir. Endean said; that it was the fault -of••democracy tllat '■ the people in. charge could .not stand; up j to r the demands of those, concerned dn}y , with the,local and not With the.national interest." """-'" .''..." ''',.' ~,', ~,. , r[ , DepolJ!ti£ali«ed. ...... . .. ;

Mr. W. 'J*.' Broadfoot"(Opp., Waitom'o) said the question was whether the rail-' • ways should be 'under political control or ,be depoliticalised, thought the Minister in the day's to come would be sorry he brought that legislation before the House. Mr. Broadfoot commended the department., fpr .the, improvements, that had,been .effected,.in .recent yeays., In ' days gone" by members' of Parliament were practically a Labour bureau arid were eager, to find positions for constitu- ; erits. He considered. before Jhe South Island main trunk and the Gis- , borne-Napier- railway lines were proceeded'with "the full facts and figures snipuld he placed .before the House.. • ,

J Hon. R, Semple; "We will give you, ['the facts all right;" ~ ... " ''.! /'j j Mr!' Broadfoot asked ' what assurance ' j the Minister had that he would get all I the traffic on that .line. As Minister of : Transport and Minister, of Pubfic tyorks he held conflicting offices and was in a difficult position. The Government s'eem'ed to have a great aversion 'to anything in the nature of boards, but the Minister. ;of : Railw.ay; .was setting -up., a" behind which he could shelter ."insteadof, facing the" troubles that would'arise';! Tfre tribunal would act as a*''"butter' Be- ! tween the Minister and the men,: '■'.' ," Miy D! McDougall .(IruL, Mataura) said he thought the. railways, hsd not been, well managed, and he considered'!'.the Minister was doing the'right'thing in getting rid of the 'board. He was informed by engine drivers and others that rolling, stock, was not. kept in gopd,^- : pair. He "considered there should be'n. 6 first arid second class carriages in a democratic country advocated rorie class 0n1y,,, equal ,to , the present first class. r

Goi'rig "to Govern. * '"

Mr. A. Hamilton (Opp., Wallace) said everything was being brought back into politics and it was that whieh Would break democracy, down. , Mr. W. J. Jordan (Govt., Manukau): Government-is going to govern." Mr. Hamilton: "Yes, the Government is going to gover. and Parliament will have-no i-ay," The next fewyears would provide -;.ie test. Parliament, he.said,,was there to administer law, and order, defence and so on, hot to' administer as many businesses as possible. He thought the railways were well run and that there .was, a . wopderful. feeling in the railways tp r day. He contended that the*, Minister in his speech used the "muck rake" too. much. Hon. t). G,'Sullivan: "I will give you some facts in a minute." . " .

Mr. Hamilton said .the Minister's speech when he made attacks on. public . men wag on a lower plane than usual. Mr. • Sullivan: "They want me to suppress the facts, and I will not do so." Mr. Hamilton: "It is better to. attack a principle than a person." He contended the board system had much to justify it and said, he thought the cry. for .its abplition was unwise. The Government would have to go a little steady 'in pulling everything back under political or Government control The. . Government otherwise would have a weight to carry that would break.it down. Pretest. ,„ >1 ;, Mr. h/s. S. Kyle (Opp., Riccarton), protested against the attacks that were made against Mr. Sterling while he was absent from the country. Commercial principles, he said, had been introduced in the railways in the last four years, Mr. J. A. Roy (Opp., Clutha) said the service of the Railway Department in the last few ; years,had been out of all comparison to the service received before that. To-day the department met customers and went out of the way to secure business that had 'been responsible- for the return of much, traffic to the railways. He said there was growing up a more mobile form of transput, which was damaging the railway returns. Mr. Semple: "A Government that can control tlv- railways can control road transport, too. That is what we will do." Mr. Rpy said road carriage of stock

had come to stay, because in,many, cases it was much : more convenient. Mr. Semple: "If we cannot give sere«p««t tfarmens' patronage." Mr. Roy said he thought. .the railways should have been left under board control. "',;'" '<:\.' Improved Service.

\-( Mr. J. Hargest (Opp., Awarua) spoke : of the much improved service the railways to-day gave its users compared .with 15 yearns ago.. .He .said it was not wise to construct good'roads alongside '• '"thei railways. There was room for both ; | -provided they were" under proper cdn- * trol, and he thought the board was the best means of achieving that control. He believed the Minister of .Transport. was '•capable of making a good'service of the •present one, but he did not think he was wise to take control out of the hands of the* board. He considered the power .. given the Minister in the Bill to take : over service,? by rail, water or air was a ' very dangerous, proposal, and he would resist it. ' t ■ ; .. ' Mr. H. ■&.' Dickie ! (Opp.',' Patea) spoke of the political pressure that would be brought to bear on the Minister if he took control. of. railways. He supported the of the Gisborne-Napief , line but said if the South Island main . trurok line was completed it would be a political job. Mr. J. G. Coates (Opp., Kaipara) said i ■ -he doubted it, New..Zealand had produced. ...many men of the calibre of Mr. Sterling. He would hot like' It thought that the Minister had directed attention to the,chairman otherwise, than in a favourable , light. ~ The .Minister's remarks were directed against the acting-chair- ' man. He did not'think'that tinder Min- > isterial' control the railways would receive the same supervision as under a board. He asked the Minister to state ; whether he thought Mr.-Sterling was incapable in the. capacity of .chairman of the board or as a railway officer. Mr, Coates ask^d.,. what tesj in the development of railways -was -to be ap-" plied in reaching a decision whether or not .this or thaf line, should, be am--, pleted, He referred to the "balloon loop" and said 'there" was an'"idea'that it had been constructed to benefit his property. bi .his property was 50 miles away. He invited investigation into the-construc-tion of that line. He was ready tp. accept the responsibility for the cessation of work on certain railway lines. He claimed the board had done valuable work, that the chairnian, had. performed his duties faithfully and well, and that the members had done their work to the best of their abilities. '. i,: ..» New. Lines. . Mr. Sullivan claimed that the carriage of goods by land, sea and air needed co-ordination, and the provision in the new Bill was almost identical with the provision under which the railways had been working throughout, almost its whole history. He reminded the Opposition that the proposal for the construction of any new line would have to come before the House when money.was sought to build vt, and members would have an opportunity ..of discussing it. ■■ The thing that, struck him most during the debate, Mr, Sullivan added, was the amazing misrepresentation that was indulged in .in. regard -to the Railways Board.. He ,was,dealing with .a principle in his remarks,, not, with persons, and he explained. thaj at the. beginning of. his remarks and again at.the end. The 'facts he stated during his speech musi stand, and he withdrew, nothing. He did not say Mr. .Reese had.tendered against the Mamaku mill. He imputed nothing improper, to Mr. Reese, or to.Sir.Jame? Gunson, but said the system was wrong