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The New Zealand Railways Magazine, Volume 1, Issue 10 (March 21, 1927)

The Late Mr. A. K. Harris

page 12

The Late Mr. A. K. Harris

The passing of Mr. A. K. Harris, late General Superintendent of Transportation on cur Railways, calls for a tribute from, and on behalf of, the members of the Service, with the personnel of which he was for so long a period, and in so intimate a manner, associated.

The late Mr. Harris was a railwayman of exceptional ability. If a list were made of the qualities which go to the make-up of a first-class transport officer—and such a list, to be complete, must needs be of considerable length and cover a wide ambit of human faculties—he could be marked up as somewhere near 100 per cent. efficient in each one of them.

Many of us owe much of our knowledge, and, in particular, a certain breadth of outlook upon train-running and allied problems, to the sound training, the backing, the encouragement, and the guidance which our late leader so willingly and steadily gave.

The habits of thoroughness which Mr. Harris both practised and inculcated, his instinct for the right course to pursue, his native capacity for dealing with all matters relating to transport, his open-minded attitude towards new ideas, and the unfailing soundness of his judgment made his guidance ideal. For it ensured the successful achievement of the chief aim in railroading— safety in operation.

Although for many years directly in control of train running operations, he never made a slip. When accidents occurred, and in the case of Mr. Harris these never arose from a failure of the human factor, he had a capacity for rapidly and correctly sizing up the position, making cool and quick decisions, and thus effectively handling not only the immediate trouble, but whatever contretemps arose from the ensuing dislocation. This capacity inspired confidence, and secured the best work from those employed under him.

It was a standard belief with our late General Superintendent that a man was all of one piece. That he was either dependable or not dependable; capable or incapable; brilliant or the reverse. He had no place for half measures or mixed judgments.

A tireless worker himself, he expected all under him to devote themselves with singleness of purpose to the prosecution of railway business. He took nothing for granted. When “A.K.” (as he was affectionately known from one end of the Dominion to the other) went out on the road to untangle some transport problem, he invariably reached the root of the matter. Reports did not satisfy—he went and saw for himself, and could be depended upon to suggest some simple, straightforward, commonsense remedy that only an expert with practical knowledge and a flair for that class of work could have evolved. In some quarters he was considered a “hard” man because of the suddenness with which he brought slackers to book, and his impatience with incompetency in whatever guise it appeared, but those with whom he was most closely associated throughout his career gratefully acknowledge the unfailing sense of justice which guided all his actions and the patience and helpful consideration with which he treated all who were honestly trying to pull their weight in the railway world.

Amongst the public he was a decided favourite. Combined with a pleasing manner and a clarity of verbal expression which enabled him to place his point of view graphically before individuals, deputations, or public gatherings, he exercised at all times a gracious courtesy which won respect from even those who could not agree with his opinions.

Our late General Superintendent was a big man, not only physically and in the position to which he attained, but in outlook, understanding and perspective. He gained the confidence, regard, and reliance of administrators and executives alike, and in his later years had an unequalled fund of experience to draw upon from which to obtain guidance in his judgment upon men and affairs.

The greatest re-organisation of timetables our Railways have known was carried out under his personal supervision, and their present success in meeting public requirements owes much to the knowledge of New Zealand conditions which he constantly brought to bear on the problems involved.

All railwaymen deeply feel the tragedy which cut short his life on the very eve of retirement after forty-two years of distinguished service in our greatest state undertaking, and during which hardly any time had been spared for recreation. It was not merely a railway, but a national loss. Certainly to no man whom the Railways have employed could the judgment of the parable be more aptly applied, “Well done thou good and faithful servant.”

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Auckland Station, 7 P. M. “Night Limited” Express Ready For The Run South To Wellington (426 Miles) In 14¼ Hours. (W. W. Stewart, photo)

Auckland Station, 7 P. M.
Night Limited” Express Ready For The Run South To Wellington (426 Miles) In 14¼ Hours.
(W. W. Stewart, photo)