New Zealand's Transport Act

In referring to the Transport Act and its effect upon the railways, the Chairman of the Government Railways Board, Mr. H. H. Sterling, in addressing a gathering of Railway Officers, spoke inter alia as follows:-

“The fight is only just now beginning, but it is beginning in fairer circumstances than have hither to obtained. Everyone will be in the open, and it will be a fairer ‘go’ than we have had in the past. I urge you to reflect on that, and to realise that it is only by the personal service that you each and everyone of you give to the customers that come within the station precincts that the battle will be won-it is by personal service that you can help the Department and yourselves. It is by personal service that you are able to weave the bonds of goodwill between the public as customers and yourselves as those providing the service. It has been a great satisfaction to me to feel my confidence has not been misplaced. I do not say that for the sake of making a speech, but because I have solid facts to back up my belief.

“As you know, we have had to take a few reefs in our belt in recent times. I have had to make an appeal to every member of the Department to assist as it fell to the Department to effect a drastic curtailing of costs in order to do something towards rehabilitating the financial position of the Department and the country. The response has been a wonderful one. I feel I would not be doing justice to the men of this great service if I did not take this opportunity of saying what our experience has been in that connection.

“Last year our expenditure decreased by nearly half a million pounds, £476,000 as compared with the previous year. This year I think our expenditure will decrease, it shows pretty well certain to decrease, by over one million pounds. We reckon it will decrease by £1,100,000, making in two years a cut in expenditure of one and a half million pounds. Those are very creditable figures, and I say that the result could not have been achieved without the whole-hearted co-operation of the staff in the direction not only of effecting direct economies in connection with their own work, but in making very many valuable suggestions that have been heartily welcomed, and which have been duly acknowledged on every occasion. The number of cases that have come under my own personal notice of men, some of them in the humblest ranks of the service, who have written me personal letters with suggestions I have found very helpful indeed, has given me particular encouragement in the belief that railwaymen are doing their best and the job will be done with credit to themselves and to the Dominion.”

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