NEW SOUTH WALES RAILWAY COMMISSIONERS.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 13234, 4 August 1906, Page 4

NEW SOUTH WALES RAILWAY COMMISSIONERS.

i The system which provides for the control of New \Soiith Wales' railways by three Commisfsione'rs does not appear to be- a happy ou« ; at aJI events it ,has not up -to the present time been .'fruitful of good results. As .an outcome of the report of the . Royal Commission set up .to inquire into what was known as "The Railway Scandal," the three Commissioners concerned have been retired on compensation, although in insisting on their % retirement the State .Government. is. fully alive to the fact that it is breaking a coutract. However, there' was no other course opei^; For a long time before the Royal Commission was appointed it was a matter of notoriety that the Railway , QQ < >' ramissiio^' erS were a most unhappy family, but . the culminating point was reached when the facts of the now" famous coal contracts dispute were made public. Here, it was apparent, was. a Chief Commissioner whose wishes were ignored, and whoso authority, if he ever had

any, absolutely flouted, while his . • tv/o junior colleagues practically ran . railway" matters as they liked. The:e is no need to .go into "thf? history^ of the coal contracts or to refer to the disputes, which, like Nye'sr language, were "painfujl and free." between tho Chief Commissioner and his juniors j sutffica it to say that there will be /'found few who have " studied the I subject who will not to some extent agree with tbo New South Wales "Premier in the opinion that the Convmis&iiOners have only themselves to blame for what has occurred. It, is somewhat surprising that when it decided on a change, the <?«overnm<ent cIM not also consider the question of appointing one 'good general 'manager to mn, the railways, under a Minister of recognised busi,noss 'ability. The cli-inato of N«w South Wales seems, to -bo conducive to combativeness, and if there wero " only one Commissioner (or manager) he would have fewer to light with, anvl more time to devote to the inf terc. : »ts of the railways.