THE RAILWAY SERVICE.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIC, Issue 13395, 19 September 1907, Page 4

THE RAILWAY SERVICE.

The announcement made by the Premier yesterday afternoon in reply to ;i question about th:- Railway Department was badly needed in order to allay the' feeling of unrest, not only among members of the ssrvico itself, but among the general publie, 'in regard to tho condition of t.h? niilv/ay staff. We are quite convinced that a ' great deal of harm lias been done. by the injudicious interference of politicians, and of a. section of # tlie Press, in this matter, but

! we are glad to have the PreinierV; assurance that the evil hats not progressed so far as one would have imagined if one relied upon the speeches of Mr Hornsby, for instance, or on the newspaper statements to which Sir Joseph Ward gave a flat contradiction yesterday afternoon. Everybody knows, of course, that 110 system of management will ever emmro complete satisfaction where a large body of employees ia concerned. There is always grumbling and discontent in the ranks of a much smaller staff than is engaged ill the service of tlia New Zealand railways, and frequently enough there is ,1 .asonable ground for such dissatisfaction. Si? Joseph recognises that fact as fully an any. 0110 else can do, but he denies that irjustica is knowingly permitted to <oclsi. "Where a. large eta ft' of inch is concerned" he said yesterday, "it ma-1 ho expected that 'some grievances ur? litnuu; io oxi:t. Where, however, these are 1 epvesentfti, they are gone into a; closely :;.s possilie, and reasonable lvlieE is given." Xobidy who followed the iut)\ 1 i; i • into the Balksi do collision, ami the Kotorua accident, will need to be told that in respect to mm? individuals at, ;uiy rate, tho coiditions of the service ought to fx? al'tred for the better, but tlio general immiiitv from .serious aecidi.nlu, and the regular and satisfactory handling of tho Iraflit are sufficient disproof of tlio wild assorions made so freely of lute that the Department is losing its capable officers and filling into tho hands of inexperienced 1 and ueless employees. Tho railway staff need 110 better testimonial than was afl'ordni by the wonderfully successful way in rhich it, met tlio heavy and sustained ikiandu of tlio Exhibition period, and wo prepared to accept. iSiv Joseph's assvanco that the service generally is still in aj

satisfactory condition. Thiit- p-rrfcction Las not, yeii been attained we are also lead} to believe, but we doubt whelm r tilings which n-_>ed improvement- will !>e much by the emlltrrassment to which the Minister has been subjected by siime of his followers in and out ot' Patliament.