The Present Railway Position.

The present depressed state of business has required far-reaching changes in methods and outlook throughout the whole transport world. In our own railway system, which (besides being of Dominion moment on the financial side) is an integral part of national life, much re-organisation and adjustment has been required to deal with the new conditions.

Some of these changes have necessarily been of an experimental character, and owing to other conditions being abnormal, it is difficult to decide on the evidence available from returns, etc., whether such alterations are in themselves the best possible in the circumstances.

While I expect, as in the past, that the staff shall give loyal support to decisions made upon such matters as rates, train services, and the general conditions laid down for the transport of passengers and commodities, and will do their best to make the public understand, be satisfied, and if possible, be pleased with the standard of service rendered, it is far from desirable that members, through an excess of loyalty, should be self-hypnotised into a belief that whatever decision may be given must necessarily be right, or—like the laws of the Medes and Persians—unalterable. The “man on the spot” has chances to judge of the effect of changes produced by decisions of the Department, by activities of competitors, or by any other of the constantly changing factors in the equation of transport as they affect his particular locality that are denied to the central organisation which is only placed to judge of broad effects.

Individual Interest Desired.

Hence it is desired of every member at stations, goods sheds, etc., that he should keep a clear eye to the position at it stands, from time to time, at his own headquarters, and that he should not have any diffidence in making representation in regard to any matter which appears to him to require special attention with a view to helping the Department in its search for more traffic or in its endeavours to provide a more pleasing service for existing customers. Even should such representations, when made, not be agreed to, the member making them should not regard the decision as necessarily final, but should watch the matter further and not hesitate to report again, with any new light which he may have on the matter. When the welfare of the service is the subject, the fullest information available from every angle is desired. I have been induced to write in these terms because matters requiring attention have come to my notice which might have been dealt with sooner had “the man on the spot” made the necessary representations as soon as he knew how affairs were developing. It is far better for “the man on the spot” to take a little time to think out a report upon some matter which should have attention and then make full and accurate representation of the position than to leave it either to the chance of discovery of some visiting member or to a possibly long period of inaction and drift.

General Manager.