THE GOVERNMENT AND THE RAILWAY COMMISSIONERS.

Woodville Examiner, Volume VIII, Issue 913, 4 April 1892, Page 2

T HE GOVERNMENT AND THE RAILWAY COMMISSIONERS.

; j ; ii, him row between the of I’ublic Works and the '•: ,• C’omniHsioners. The dispute Lb- im.-,- To Aro station. Te ■■■ ! , hi-unut* the centre of Wel- ■; : .ii, ,\nd should have fivst-cln-is i ::i:aetcosi;loliation. T.he Minis- < i iw.vmisuH this, and insists noon ■, ,

only a passenger station is required. We have said all along that Mr Maxwell, although nominally subordinate to Mr McKerrow, is 'really the “ boss ” Commissioner, and it is he who takes the matter in hand and places before the Minister the reasons why the 1 Commissioners dissent from him. Mr Maxwell gives the Minister a decided snub by saying : —“ The 31st section of the Government Railways Act, 1887, made the Commissioners the authority to decide on and approve the position, character, and suitableness of all station works, so as to prevent extravagance in working as well as excessive outlay in construction.” Of course both Minister and Commissioners say they base their stand on the public interest, but having in view the recent action of the Commissioners over Kelson Bros’, wprks at Woodvillo we consider they want watching. It is well-known that two of them are largely interested in the Thorndon end of Wellington, and though we do not say that this is the cause of th ir opposition to Te Aro. we say it requires consideration. Wfe cannot and do not say that the gentlemen we refer to use their public position to further their personal interests, but they have not yet explained how, when they were largely interested in the Gear Company, they tried to frustrate Nelson Bros, in their enterprise. Does not the same position apply to the Te Aro railway question? This time the Triumvirate have met their match in Mr Seddon, who, in his reply, says ;—“ The Commissioners had declined to submit the plans suggested by the Minister to show what would have to be done in order to meet the requirements of the goods traffic at Te Aro, and they had also declined to advise him in any way as regarded a goods station. Under the-:e circumstances, and in order to give effect to the wishes of Parliament, he felt compelled to seek the assistance of otherexperts, and he was now advhed by such experts that there was sufficient room for a goods station at Te Aro, and that one could bo provided at a moderate cost. With regard to the Commissioners’ contention as to the power conferred upon them by section 31 of the Government Railways Act, 1887, lie could only say that the Commissioners had been consulted in the matter, butliadrefused toapprove. He did not consider it would be wise to take legal action in order to compel the Commissioners to locate and approve of a goods as well as a passenger station at Te Aro, as that would seem to be frittering away money which might bo better spent on the execution of the work itself, and he therefore intended to do the best he could in the direction of expending the whole of the funds voted for the railway in useful construction works.