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The New Zealand Railways Magazine is delivered free to all employees in the service of the Railway Department, to the principal public libraries in the Dominion, and to the leading firms, shippers and traders doing business with the New Zealand Railways.
It is the officially recognised medium for maintaining contact between the Administration, the employees, and the public, and for the dissemination of knowledge bearing on matters of mutual interest and of educative value.
Employees and others interested are invited to forward to the Editor, the New Zealand Railways Magazine, Head Office, Railways, Wellington, articles bearing on Railway affairs, news items of staff interest, suitable short stories, poetry, photographs, pen and ink sketches, etc. The aim of contributors should be to supply interesting topical material tending generally towards the betterment of the Service.
Contributed articles should be signed. If to appear over a nom-de-plume this should be stated.
In all cases where the Administration makes announcements through the medium of this journal the fact will be clearly indicated.
The Department does not identify itself with any opinions which may be expressed in other portions of the publication, whether appearing over the author's name or under a nom-de-plume.
The other day we had the pleasure of a trial run on one of the Department's new power units. There was a strong team of experts aboard to watch proceedings, besides a Driver to make it go, and a Fireman to keep it going. Notes were taken of its appearance, comfort and equipment, and stop-watches were out to time the speed up-hill, down dale, and on the level. By the end of the run there was nothing about that outfit which had not been discovered, discussed, dissected, praised, passed, or condemned.
In producing this, the first issue of the New Zealand Railways Magazine which, in all the sixty years of railroading in New Zealand, is also the first magazine to be published by the Railway Administration of this country, the same close scrutiny as on the other trial trip is to be anticipated, and we therefore hasten, while eyes are turned our way, to paint, in prime colours on the bill-board, a list of purposes for which the paper has been created, and of principles upon which it will be run.
We are convinced that, so far as New Zealand is concerned, the Railway is economically the best method yet devised for the land transport of passengers and goods.
Our first business is to help sell railway transport; our next to make it better worth buying. To do the former effectively there must be firm faith in the quality of the goods we have to sell.
Then the whole staff, seventeen thousand strong, should develop an interest in securing business. Combined and properly applied, this great man-power can exercise a tremendous influence on public opinion. There are endless ways by which traffic may be encouraged. Standing up sturdily for the Department against chance-met, ill-informed criticism; recommending Railway methods of travel and transport; using the psychology of “Boost” to make others believe in and appreciate the Railway; these and other means will readily suggest themselves if every member develops the habit of regarding the Department as his own business.
With trade and business relations becoming more impersonal and—the human element being excluded—less interesting, there is a risk,—if nothing be put in to supply its place—that the value of personal interest and co-operation in effort may be lost, without compensation.
We hope to fill that gap by interesting the staff in safety-first movements, in health and general welfare matters, in education, in co-partnership, efficiency, and in points of social development and progress.
This journal stands for whatever is likely to increase co-operation between the Public, the Administration, and the Staff.
Every effort will be made to prevent its interests becoming sectional. If in any issue it appears that one branch of the Service is appropriating all the limelight, readers may be sure that in the next issue that Branch will drop more among the shadows and another be brought under the revealing glow. In the course of each year of issues it is hoped to give every line of Railway endeavour its just proportion of publicity and attention.
What we would like both clients and members to do is to introduce every issue into the home—to make relatives and friends interested in the Railways.
We look for a better service still, for further improvements that will lead to greater perfection in all our dealings with the public, both as travellers and freighters, and with each other as fellow-employees in the largest single enterprise in the Dominion.
“Better means of intercourse and closer community of interest are aimed at between the Public, the Administration and the Employees of the Department.”—
“A Magazine issued by the Administration is now a feature of all progressive railway systems, as it is also of many other industrial organisations and distributing businesses. Indeed such a magazine has become indispensable here if the methods and aims of the Railway Department are to be properly appreciated by the public and staff alike. It will act as an agent for the easy circulation of valuable information; function as a common platform for the interchange of ideas and suggestions and provide a medium whereby to foster that spirit of co-operation which makes for mutual help and a sense of individual and collective responsibility among all sections of employees, without which no great undertaking such as our national railways can be operated successfully with the minimum of friction and the maximum of public advantage.”
Coates
Thus did Mr. Coates outline the latest feature in Railway innovations—“The New Zealand Railways Magazine.”—“Another of your notions?” queried his interviewer.
“Not altogether,” he replied, “Shop organs, employees' magazines, and journals issued for criculation among workers and customers are a recognised advantage in the industrial and business world to-day, and I feel assured that by combining the two purposes in this one Departmental organ the good resultant to the Railway will be almost incalculable.”
A reference to overseas departmental magazines led the Minister to remark: “We New Zealanders pride ourselves in being up-to-the-minute in most things. In this one thing, at least, we have lagged behind the Old Country and our Sister Nations of the Empire. Not only State Departments but large private companies have found the departmental magazine, or “Shop Organ,” a useful and valuable medium of communion and inter-communion between the members of various departments and between the combined departments and the Managerial staff. Differences and difficulties which under the old regime might have been allowed to drift until culminating in a serious dispute, have been tackled in the open at the first sign of friction, and by frank and sympathetic handling have been resolved and removed to the mutual advantage of all concerned. The Departmental Magazine has been a great aid also in furthering and stimulating interest in vocational education. The same valuable service can be rendered by our “Magazine.” We can, and I hope we will learn much from these others, but at the same time we hope our Magazine will strike out on lines distinctly appropriate to our special requirements,
Does the manner in which your previous reforms and innovations have been received and carried out encourage you to anticipate a real advance throughout the system as the result of your new enterprise?
“The higher your aim the greater will be your achievement,” quoted Mr. Coates smiling. “I am very appreciative of the backing I have received from members of all grades of the Service in carrying out the reforms referred to. While emphasising the need of efficiency and still more efficiency, let me say that my conception of efficiency is not the ‘driving’ notion which obsessed the American ‘efficiency experts’ of a decade ago, but the reasonable and reasoned idea of increased service by co-operative effort, by the adoption of more intelligent management, improved equipment, and better arrangements for the reduction of physical fatigue and nervous strain among employees; the making of the workers' tasks more interesting, thereby securing the fullest use of each human effort, rather than more effort from each human.”
Referring to the last Railway Statement, the “Railway Gazette” states: “The New Zealand Railways have given a lead to the other railways in Australasia by the creation of a special Railway Fund, entirely distinct from the Consolidated Fund of the Dominion.
In its grasp of the fundamentals of the railway problem in New Zealand, in its keen visualisation of the desirability of following the recommendations of the recent Royal Commission, and in the bold announcement of a progressive railway policy in the future, the statement fully embodies the virility of the Railway Minister, who so recently became Prime Minister of the Dominion.”
Don't you think that sympathy with the workers in their legitimate aspirations for advancement, and the conviction, on their part, that those placed over them are in earnest in their desire to deal justly, go a long way toward bringing about the condition of mind among employees that reflects itself in more willing service all round?
“Emphatically!” exclaimed the Premier. “I want not merely a contented staff, but a happy staff. I want our men to have pride in the service and show it by putting enthusiasm into their jobs. The object of the “Magazine” should be to bring more interest into Railway life; to expand its possibilities not only for personal profit, but for public appreciation; to help toward conditions that make for satisfaction in all ranks within the Department, by reciprocal and mutual service, benefiting each other by the improvement of conditions of service for all.”
Previous to your taking up the portfolio of Minister of Railways, Mr. Coates, you had no experience in the management of industrial undertakings?
The Minister set himself to answer frankly the question which, though not asked, such a statement obviously implied.
“Soon after taking over the portfolio of Railways,” said the Minister, “I came to the conclusion that many members of the Railway Service did not realise how important the success of the Department was to their own advancement. They did not understand or accept their position as co-partners in the undertaking, so I caused a circular to be sent out indicating the need for education on this point. Here is an extract from the circular:-
The successful management of the Department's business is of vital interest to every individual on its pav roll. Their own welfare and progress depend on the patronage afforded by the Public—a patronage which can be adequately secured only by supplying the best possible service at the lowest possible price ………..The road lies open for prosperity in the Department's business if all its members combine to give efficient, intelligent, hearty and courteous assistance in the prosecution of Railway activities.
Then to District Officers:-
I look to you, as head of your district, to see that the proper spirit is fostered and a successful development achieved.
Carrying out the policy therein enunciated,” continued the Minister, “the ‘Magazine’ will help to let the Staff and the Public know what the Management is about, so that all may work together intelligently for a definite object, and help to secure for Public, Administration, and Staff improved relations, linked by bonds of friendliness and mutual help.”
“Now, have you any personal message which you wish the ‘Magazine’ to convey to the Railway Servants of all grades?” was the final question before the interview ended.
“Yes,” Mr. Coates instantly and earnestly replied, “You may say I want the members of the Railway Staff—from Chairman of the Board to the youngest member—to remember that our Railway System is a great National co-operative undertaking. The principle upon which cooperative concerns are conducted is:-
From the workers the best that their energies and their abilities can produce; from their fellow-shareholders, the best conditions of labour that the industry can bear, without the exploitation of the non-employee shareholder who is the user of their products and services.
That, I take it, is the only fair and equitable principle upon which any such or similar industry try can be run successfully, without injustice to the employee or hardship to the shareholder-customer. That is the principle under which I, as Minister, and the Board, as Managers, wish to see our National Railway functioning. My final word for the present to our Railway workers is:-
In proportion as you, its employees, exercise your abilities and energies to make the working of the Railway System efficient, and returning a service commensurate with its costs to the paying public, the easier it will be for me, or for any future Minister to remove any disturbing element and improve conditions of labour and service. And, insofar as your conduct retards, protracts, or postpones the realisation of these things you render it difficult for the Minister or the Board to initiate an improved service to the public and better conditions for you, their servants.”
Keeping shop is a game all children enjoy, particularly when the rules allow the making of money to the heart's content.
When Germany went in for an inflated currency, she carried the game so far that the wildest dreams of childhood were overstepped, and the paper mark as a means of exchange became absolutely valueless.
There is a kind of paper currency in use by the Railway Department known as an approved S.3 which secures for the Requisitioning Officer, without any further payment, whatever commodities entered thereon may be passed for issue, and this currency has the additional fascination that no matter how much it is over-worked, it never drops in value.
It is a cheque drawn for an indeterminate amount which, when duly countersigned, produces the goods required.
The convenience of such a system is beyond question, but it is quite likely that if employees were dealing in actual money they would appreciate more thoroughly the value of the articles supplied through the medium of the stores requisition form.
The ordering, control, and distribution of stores for Departmental requirements is an undertaking of considerable magnitude calling for keen, well-trained business capacity to ensure the successful economic management of its wide-spread phases.
The Stores Branch, under the leadership of its present head, has adopted many improvements in keeping with the best modern railway practice.
Mr. Guinness in his capacity as Comptroller of Stores, is keen on economy, modern methods, and further education of the staff in the proper ordering, distribution, and use of materials.
“If,” said Mr. Guinness, “they could realise and bear constantly in mind that stores cost money, every approving officer, every requisitioning officer, would see that a very close watch was kept over the ordering, approval and use of supplies.
The porter, who, in making up disinfectant calling for proportions of 1 in 400, uses a 1 in 50 mixture; the man who leaves a broom out in the rain; the employee who needlessly discards material of any kind which is capable of being put to further effective service—is, each in his own way, causing waste that eats up money and has inevitably a bad effect upon the general conditions under which employment and operations proceed.”
Mr. F. J. Jones
, Chairman of the Railway Board, was born in 1874, and 15 years later joined the Service as a Cadet in the Resident Engineer's Office at Dunedin.
Jones S. P. Andrew, Photo.
In the next five years he was located successively at Oamaru, Wellington and Auckland, at the latter city becoming a Draftsman in 1894. He was appointed to the position of Assistant Engineer at Dunedin in 1899, and later transferred to Wellington.
In 1901, Mr. Jones was promoted to the position of District Engineer at Greymouth, and later filled similar positions at Wellington, Wanganui, Auckland and Dunedin. He became Supervising Engineer at Wellington in 1920, Assistant Chief Engineer in 1922, and Chief Engineer in 1924, becoming the Chairman of the Railway Board in December of the same year.
It is worthy of note that Mr. Jones carried through the whole course of his professional studies while in the Department's service. He is now a member of the Institute of Civil Engineers, London, member and Past-President of the New Zealand Society of Civil Engineers, and also holds the rank of Honorary Colonel and Director of Railways with the Defence Department.
The career of Mr. Jones from the position of cadet at £30 per annum to the leading place in the Railway Service is one to stimulate to high endeavour every youth entering the Department.
A determination to thoroughly understand everything that he had to deal with has characterised our Board Chairman from the day he entered the Service, and this coupled with industry and sound common sense, qualified him, when the time came, for filling with distinction the highest controlling position in the Public Service of the Dominion.
Mr. J. Mason
, operating member of the Railway Board, joined the Service in 1889 as a Cadet in the Traffic Branch, and was first placed in the Auckland Goods Office.
He was later located at various stations in the Auckland District including Onehunga, Helensville, Newmarket and Frankton, receiving a thorough training in all the phases of station work. He was later placed in charge of the outward invoicing at Auckland Goods, and from there was transferred to Whangarei, where he was initiated into District Office work affecting all Branches of the Service, including control of the transport for that section.
Mason S. P. Andrew, Photo.
In 1906 Mr. Mason was taken into the office of the District Traffic Manager at Auckland where he had charge of the staff work for some years. This was followed by a course of train running work and other senior officer duties.
During the war Mr. Mason was offered by the Defence Department the position of Assistant Director of Recruiting for the Dominion, for which appointment he had been recommended by the General Manager. This work called for organising capacity of a high order, but Mr. Mason proved equal to the occasion, and, upon completion of his work there at the conclusion of the war, was highly complimented by the Defence authorities.
On resuming duty with the Railway Department, Mr. Mason was placed at the Head Office, Wellington, and performed various duties there, including the defence of the Department's actions in connection with the various promotions and supercessions which followed the 1919 general regrading of the First Division.
In 1922 Mr. Mason was appointed one of the two Commercial Agents of the Department, which position he occupied until, upon the reorganisation of the Service in 1924 he was made First Assistant General Manager, and later, when a Board of Management was placed in control of Railway affairs, he became a Member of the Board.
Mr. A. W. Mouat
, commercial member of the Railway Board, joined the service of the Wellington-Manawatu Railway Company, Limited, in September, 1890, as Junior on the staff of the Traffic Manager, and occupied various positions with the Company, attaining to that of Traffic Clerk at the end of seven years' service.
He was then appointed Storekeeper, and for the next four years dealt with matters pertaining to the purchase of stores and material, and their distribution for use.
In 1901 Mr. Mouat took up the duties of Bookkeeper in charge of the commercial books and accounts of the Company, and in 1905 was appointed their Assistant Traffic Manager.
In December, 1908, on the acquisition by the Government of the Wellington-Manawatu Line Mr. Mouat transferred to the staff of the N.Z. Railways and was appointed to a position in the office of the Traffic Superintendent at Wellington.
In 1914 he was transferred to the Head Office, and in April, 1915, was appointed Chief Clerk there.
After occuping this position until 1920 Mr. Mouat was transferred on promotion to the post of Assistant Chief Traffic Manager, and while occupying this position he represented the Department on a number of Boards set up in 1920 and 1921 to inquire into wages and conditions of work of the different branches of the Railway Staff.
Mouat Elizabeth Greenwood, Photo.
In February, 1924, on the re-organisation of the Department, the Office of the Chief Traffic Manager was abolished and Mr. Mouat was placed as District Traffic Manager at Auckland.
In January, 1925, in consequence of Mr. J. Mason (a Member of the Board) going abroad, Mr. Mouat was made Acting Member of the Board, a position he has held continuously until his present appointment.
Mr. Mouat's wide range of knowledge and experience, including competitive conditions under private railway working, eminently fits him for membership on the Board of Control.
They are the men who explain things.
They bring business to, and develop appreciation of, the Department.
They improve the public attitude towards the Department.
The Business Agents are like the Huma, the bird that never settles.
On taking over the Portfolio of Railways, I entered upon my duties with an open and, let me be frank, a somewhat perplexed mind. The practical working side of the business was new to me. I was a novice and I knew it. This last was, perhaps, half the battle. I soon realised that I must put aside all preconceived notions of how this, that and the other thing ought to be done, and listen, with every endeavour to understand, to the statements and explanations of those who, in these things, spoke with the voice of authority, backed by theoretic knowledge and practical experience. This done, after much searching, sifting and analysing, the position, as it appeared to me, resolved itself into a recognition of the fact that what our Railway System stood most in need of at the time was a specific policy. That point reached, the next step was to formulate such a policy. This was not as easy as it may appear to some. Soon, however, circumstances forced me to the conclusion that a particular feature of our Railway policy must be the recognition that, while the commercial aspect of the undertaking was of most vital concern, our aim must not be merely to pile up profits for the Government, but to render the best possible service to the public by the adoption of advanced commercial methods in every branch of the System. That conviction reached, we immediately went about setting our house in order. There were many vexatious delays—a hindrance here that had to be removed, a rough corner there that had to be negotiated with care, and, that most unreasonable and likewise most obstinate of obstacles, “It has always been done this way,” which to be removed must be simply but emphatically ignored—and it was! Several drastic changes were introduced. One-man-management gave place to a Managerial Board of three. A Commission, consisting of eminent Railway experts from the Old Country, were taken over our Railways with a view to their advising the Minister and the Government as to the more efficient and economical working of the System. Their Report, after being considered by the Government, was made public and steps taken to act upon such of their recommendations as could be put immediately into effect. The more important of their recommendations, involving heavy expense on the part of the Department, will be pushed ahead with all possible expedition. Fuller particulars of these appear in another part of this issue of our “Magazine.” (See page 46.) I would mention here, however, a change that already has met with marked appreciation on the part of the travelling public, namely the appointment of Divisional Superintendents for North and South Islands respectively. This has been found to yield a more personal form of management and has given greater freedom for the settlement of matters of detail.
Much yet remains to be done. Let me briefly outline the chief points of the various issues facing the Administration.
At the beginning of the current financial year, the Railway Department's finance was separated from the General Fund, thus enabling the Department to conduct its operations on lines approximating to those of a private company. By this means the Administration's responsibility was increased; room was given for exercising greater initiative, and the Department's financial operations rendered sufficiently flexible for carrying out a sustained programme of works, and meeting other emergencies without by one iota diminishing Parliamentary control. Services previously performed gratis for other State Departments, are now debited against such Departments, and vice versa. The new system will have the great advantage of letting the country know just what it is costing to work those lines which, as commercial propositions, would not be worked at all but which are considered to be justified for developmental purposes. Under the old system of finance, the Department was required to return what was called a “policy” rate of interest on capital invested in the railways. This was less than the actual rate of interest payable on the moneys in the railway capital account, and it was generally stated in justification for fixing
Closely allied with finance is the new system of statistics, which has for its purpose the securing of accurate representation of movements in any direction of every phase of operation and expenditure, and clearly showing every fluctuation of same. Information so obtained will prove a reliable guide in promulgating improvements in directions indicated as being necessary or advisable. By the effective use of comparisons, it provides an opportunity to ensure the best being done.
The whole train service has been systematically and thoroughly reviewed; conditions in each district carefully weighed and changes and improved running adopted where such seems likely to stimulate traffic. In a country such as ours where settlement shows a steady upward trend, with population increasing, new industries springing up and intensive development and progress taking place in every direction, it is obvious that the time-table must be amended from time to time to keep up with current requirements. The heavy overhaul of all train time-tables during the year just completed, in order to give a more efficient service, is, to some extent, a confession that the Department, hitherto, had lagged behind. Now, however, the constant endeavour will be to make the time-table more readily responsive to every District's needs and possibilities.
The Management, by mutual arrangement with the Shipping Companies and Motor Service proprietors, is engaged in evolving a scheme to provide a system of “through booking” by train, steamer and motor. This, it is hoped, will meet a public need by removing the necessity of procuring separate tickets for each mode of conveyance and also eliminate unnecessary delay in the completion of long journeys. In this way the motor may be made a feeder of, instead of a competitor with, our Railways.
It is gratifying to learn that the improved time-table has been much appreciated by the trading and travelling public in every part of the Dominion. I take this opportunity also of extending thanks to all in the Service who have co-operated so heartily in the efficient handling of the unprecedented numbers who have travelled by train to New Zealand's record Exhibition.
Precautions for the safety, and care for the comfort of the travelling public have been fully maintained at the high standard previously set by the Department. In regard to the speeds at which trains are permitted to run, there are now in operation on all lines certain maxima for the various classes of trains, applicable to specified sections of track, in every case in keeping with requirements of world standards for safety in train running.
The greatly improved timing of trains obtained under the recent re-organisation of time-tables has been secured by better distribution of the through-cut time, a reduction in the number and length of stops, a general smartening up of work at intermediate stations, expediting despatch and, in certain cases, a limitation of load to secure better time on the up-grades. Slacks on the various runs have been taken up also, but, in every case, timing of trains from point to point has been made to keep within the maximum limits which engineering theory and experience have shown to provide an adequate margin of safety.
In effecting the re-organisation of the Department on strict business principles it has been necessary to adopt methods entirely dissimilar
Admitting that there is a best way of doing everything, the Department is seeking just that, holding high all the while the ring of Progress inscribed with the slogan, “Traffic is secured by courtesy, held by efficiency, and turned to profit by co-operation and economy.” This ideal embraces the preservation of the best of the past and the fullest use of all Railway assets, material, manual and mental.
The best that has been gleaned from abroad by officers who have returned after a world-wide survey of Railway structural and operating conditions will be incorporated in the future working of the Department.
From time to time other officers will be sent to other countries to ensure that the Department may be kept advised by first-hand information of any new details in railway management or equipment which may be of assistance in improving operations on our own system. The whole matter of definite advance in the internal working of our transportation business is indissolubly intertwined with the question of
What we have started out to do in this direction is fully dealt with on another page of this issue of our “Magazine.” (See page 32.)
Hitherto, the Annual Statement to Parliament has been the only means by which the intentions of the Administration, and the effect of Departmental operations have become known to the staff. This was not always in a form easy of assimilation by the bulk of the Department's employees. Being convinced that the confidence and assistance of the personnel in co-ordinated action are essential to obtaining the best results, and that this can be done only by taking more frequent opportunity for keeping them advised of the Department's position, progress and aims I have arranged for an illustrated Magazine to be published by the Administration. In this journal the employees and the business public will be kept apprised monthly of the Railway situation, any contemplated or approved innovations, matters of an educational nature relating to the various phases of Railway working, general news of personal or employment interest, and such other information as may help to develop, with the spirit of team work, a sense of comradeship and joint participation in the welfare of the service.
Although, in general, the new time-table has proved satisfactory to the public, and the running of trains is mostly good, it is felt that something further in the way of supervision is required. This is not with the idea of finding fault with a keenly alert staff, but rather for the purpose of discovering remedies for delays and hold-ups to particular services in various localities. In order to effect improvement in these directions two specially qualified members are about to examine the existing working methods, and recommend remedies for dislocations in transport arrangements where these occur. It is felt that their investigations will assist them materially in deciding what alterations are advisable for accelerating movements of traffic.
It is the hope and intention of the Board of Management that these officers shall come into close personal touch with railway employees in their districts. This, not merely as officials on a round of periodic visitation, but as fellow workers in the same Department; members of the same team. They shall give advice where such is asked or seems likely to be helpful. They will receive also and transmit to Head Office suggestions from any employee for improvement in the working of the service in any of its branches, with the names and status of their authors adhibited thereto. Every suggestion will receive the most careful investigation, and, if accepted, their author will be communicated with immediately.
I feel sure that by improved management in operations and by developing the habit of looking ahead much economy in running costs can be effected. In view of the high cost of operating materials, particularly stores and fuel, a saving in this direction, which would effectually reduce the working ratio, is much to be desired.
The improvement in locomotive tractive power amounting to 42.48% during the last decade, is disproportionately greater than the increase in engine mileage. This leeway can and will be overtaken. I look to every employee to loyally do his bit to aid the speedy and satisfactory solution of this economic problem.
In any comparison of Capital and Costs per mile with those of other countries, recognition must be made of the fact that the cost of railway construction is necessarily heavy in New-Zealand, owing to the exceptionally difficult nature of the country through which most of the lines have been driven. On the other hand tariff rates, to a great extent, are governed by competitive conditions both by sea and road, where the competitors are freed largely from the cost and upkeep of a permanent way, of a safety signalling system, and of terminal accommodation facilities. The hard logic of existing conditions points the only way to a betterment in the financial situation as being through an improved operating ratio between earnings and working expenses. Herein lies the opportunity for a great forward movement by co-operative effort and improved industrial and commercial management.
To achieve the best results it is further necessary that every one employed on our Railways should be equipped with the best machinery and other appliances for his work. The greater the volume of traffic the less will be the unit cost of transport. Therefore the obtaining of more traffic (in which every member of the service may assist the efforts of the Commercial Branch) is the first feature of a policy likely to benefit the Department, its employees and the Dominion.
The cost of construction and repair work on rolling stock is being reduced by improved methods of workshop management. New workshops are about to be erected in the vicinity of Auckland and Petone, and extensions at Addington and Hillside, with the latest world-standards of construction, arrangement, operation and machinery. When these are available this feature will be further developed.
Improved methods for the purchase, standardisation and control of stores are among the economies to be effected.
Better ways for the handling of passengers, parcels and goods traffic are being devised, and already standard elementary works on Railway Economics have been obtained and distributed throughout the various districts as a beginning of vocational instruction, with a view to improving the individual and collective capabilities of every department of the Railway Service.
Efficiency is being promoted also by safety propaganda to reduce accidents among employees. A Safety-First campaign among the staff is under way. This includes the exhibition of posters in Workshops, etc., graphically impressing the lesson of self-preservation, and the Departmental Magazine also will be used to further the same purpose by the exchange of safety-first ideas. Action also is being taken regarding the distribution and exhibition of poster and sticker warnings for the public emphasising the need for taking the greatest care at level-crossings.
Although a most gratifying response has already been made to the new policy I bespeak a still keener interest in, and a still more earnest application to the work in hand. With educational and managerial development along the lines indicated, a fuller appreciation of the spirit of co-operation within all ranks of the service, coupled with increased skill and the elimination of useless waste, the outlook for improvement in the operating ratio—on which staff betterment in conditions and prospects depends—will be brightened considerably, and the likelihood of better rates and accommodation for the public materially increased. Given these, we can look to the future with a cheerful optimism, being well assured that the only dependable method of securing the confidence and goodwill of the public is to deserve them.
A fair exchange of coins makes no one the richer: a fair exchange of ideas benefits all. The day for secrecy and selfishness has gone by. Give freely of what you know. It will help others and strengthen yourself.
Mr. H. H. Sterling
, who recently re-retired from the Railway Board of Management to take up an appointment as General Manager of the N.Z. Co-operative Dairy Company, was born in Christchurch in 1886.
He was educated in primary schools in Christchurch, winning a Board of Education Scholarship which took him to the Christchurch Boys High School.
Upon leaving the High School he joined the Railway Service in Christchurch as a Cadet and was at the time of his resignation in the 25th year of his service. After some six years of general station work in Canterbury, Mr. Sterling exchanged to Otago. He spent some years in the District Manager's Office in Dunedin and during that time studied at the Otago University, graduating LL.B., in 1917 and was admitted as a Barrister and Solicitor. He also studied Economics and Advanced Mental and Moral Philosophy with a view to proceeding to the Arts degree, but his studies at Otago University were terminated by transfer in April, 1918, to the Head Office at Wellington. In 1919 Mr. Sterling was appointed Law Officer of the Department and in 1924 was made an Assistant General Manager.
After the Board of Management was constituted to take over the general management of the Department he was appointed a member and placed in immediate control of the Commercial, Legal, Land, Statistical and Rating (Tariff) Branches.
Mr. Sterling's career in the Railway Department has been quite exceptional, he having attained to one of the highest and most responsible positions in the Public Service of New Zealand at an unusually early age. This indicated a standard of ability above the average, while the reputation that he bears shows him to be of unexceptionable character and high integrity. These qualities, together with the first hand experience he has had in dealing with commercial, financial, legal and other problems that arose in connection with the organisation and operation of a large-scale business, should eminently fit him for the position to which he has now been appointed. Mr. Sterling was largely responsible for the new railway tariff, a work of considerable magnitude and importance, and the fact that this Tariff, involving as it did some increases of rates, was carried through and agreements arrived at with all the large interests affected, has no doubt materially contributed to secure to Mr. Sterling the confidence of the commercial community.
Mr. Sterling has also been active in developing the work of the Commercial Branch. The success attending the working of that Branch under his regime has undoubtedly been a great factor in effecting the remarkable change for the better that has taken place in the attitude of the commercial community and the public generally towards the Railways, and the new spirit of service that is now permeating the whole of the operations of the Department where they come into contact with the public.
Outside his official life Mr. Sterling took a keen interest in Rugby football, and last year was a member of the Management Committee of the Wellington Rugby Union.
We are sure that he leaves the Railway Service with the regret of the great body of railwaymen in New Zealand and their best wishes for his success in his new venture.
Mr. F. J. Jones (Chairman)
The first issue of the “New Zealand Railways Magazine” provides a land mark in the history of the railways. The aim of the “Magazine” is to develop that community of interest and team work without which it is impossible to get good results. All ranks are therefore asked to rally to its support. While there are many amongst us who may feel a diffidence about contributing, each and all can at least “read, learn and inwardly digest.”
The motto of the “Magazine” “For Better Service” deserves the thoughtful consideration of every member of the staff. Carried to its logical conclusion it denotes high ideals and good practice. In every direction, avenues for better service will open up before those anxious to give of their best. In a transport service such as ours carrying some twenty-six million passengers per annum and some seven million tons of goods there are endless opportunities of showing courtesy, tact, and assistance to the travelling public. Every passenger, every consignor of goods, is a client of the Department and is entitled to the best service that can be given. And, let me say, the public is very appreciative even of the little courtesies extended to it, therefore endeavour to send it away satisfied.
Another way in which the Department can be served is in the recollection that all new or added business that comes to the Railway is a gain, and makes it that much easier to meet our obligations. Much has been done by the Commercial Branch, by Stationmasters, and others in obtaining extra business. But there is still much to do. Endeavour, therefore, to turn all business possible on to the railway. To do this clients must be given every consideration and courtesy, because it must always be remembered that the only claim we have for the added business is the service which we give.
A further field for better service that offers unlimited scope is that of the reduction of operating expenditure. A great gain forward is made when the economies possible are fully appreciated by the staff. Economy does not mean cheese paring or cutting expenditure without an equivalent gain, but it does mean stopping up every avenue of waste. It means, in effect, cultivating the financial sense.
There are many ways in which savings in operating can be made in train scheduling, in track up-keep, in shop work, in goods handling, in control of stores, etc.
For our present purpose it is not necessary here to go into details; but I do want to draw special attention to the control and use of stores and to the assembling and stacking of second hand material much of which has a large value. In Railway business as in a private merchant's business the stocks on hand should be the least quantity that will efficiently carry on.
The staff of the New Zealand Railways has shown on occasions innumerable that it can be depended upon to rise to the emergency when necessity calls. Disorganisation of train services resulting from slips, floods, and other causes, is tackled by all hands with a vigour and capacity beyond praise. In the same way the reorganisation of train services, of accounts, of tariff and commercial matters has been tackled, and the Board is very appreciative of the good work done. There is, however, still a tremendous amount to do. It may be said that there is no end to what can be done, and we look with confidence to the staff to carry on without relaxation of effort. Our aim must be to give the best service that can be given at the least possible cost; to extend our activities to feeding services; to stretch out our tentacles, so that we may eventually embrace the whole land transport of the Dominion.
Many things are essential to success in the matter of railway operation but none more so than sound organisation. There is a great diversity of opinion as to what organisation is most suitable, but all railwaymen who have given the question serious consideration would agree that no hard and fast rule can be laid down owing to the widely varying circumstances existing in the many countries served by railways.
An organisation entirely suitable in the case of one railway, may not meet the requirements of another where other conditions obtain,
During my recent travels abroad I had the privilege of observing the methods of the administrations of a considerable number of railways and discussing the question of organisation with many highly capable administrators, most of whom were strong advocates of divisional organisation.
It would, of course, be sheer presumption to claim that any one system is the only correct one; but it may be said that, whereas most railways were at one time organised on the departmental system, by far the greater number are now organised on the divisional system. The South African Railways are of the same gauge as the New Zealand Railways and the conditions generally more closely approximate those in New Zealand than do those in most of the other countries which I visited. Furthermore, the South African Railways were formerly organised on the departmental system, and in view of the recent reorganisation of the New Zealand Railways any information as to why the organisation of the South African Railways was changed should be of special interest. The reasons for the change are set forth at some length in a publication entitled “South African Railways and Harbours,” and I give them in condensed form hereunder.
Divisional organisation was adopted throughout the whole of the amalgamated South African Railways when Union was established in 1910. Prior to that the departmental system was in operation on the railways of Cape Colony and also on the Natal Railways, but a few years previously the Central South African Railways had discarded it in favour of divisional organisation.
Under the departmental system the three main departments of the Cape Railways reported to the General Manager as the Chief Executive officer. The Traffic Department, controlled by a Chief Traffic Manager, was responsible for the running of trains, the conveyance of passengers and merchandise and for procuring and developing traffic. The Locomotive Department, controlled by a Chief Locomotive Superintendent, was responsible for the supply, running, and upkeep of engines and rolling stock, the control of the locomotive staff and the management of the railway workshops. The Engineering Department, controlled by an Engineer-in-Chief was responsible for the maintenance of the permanent way and the construction of new lines and new works.
The railways were divided into systems, and on each system there was a Traffic Manager, a Locomotive Superintendent and a Resident Engineer. Each of these officers had a complete office staff, and, under certain limited authorities, was responsible to the Chief Traffic Manager, the Chief Locomotive Superintendent and the Engineer-in-Chief respectively, for the satisfactory working of his section in so far as it concerned his own particular department.
Each system was again divided into districts, the traffic district being in charge of an Assistant Traffic Manager, the locomotive district in charge of a District Locomotive Superintendent, and the engineering district in charge of a District Engineer. These officers reported direct to the Traffic Manager, Locomotive Superintendent, and Resident Engineer respectively, and each had a separate office staff.
The Traffic Manager, Locomotive Superintendent and Resident Engineer combined as separate units under their respective departmental heads, towards the movement of all traffic offering.
It was found, however, that each department gave first consideration to its own direct interests. The Traffic Department having no interest in the engines beyond utilising them to the best advantage for the purpose of handling the traffic was sometimes ready to strain a point beyond the regulations when arranging engine loads, while the locomotive department, being responsible for the engines, was more concerned with their upkeep than with the movement of traffic. Delays to traffic, other than delays in running, did not affect the Locomotive Department by which such matters were at times subordinated to other considerations such as engine working and engine mileage.
The Engineering Department was more interested in its own sphere of operations than in the handling of traffic, and did not always readily acquiesce in the employment of more powerful engines where such could advantageously be used, as their use would entail increased maintenance expenditure.
Although complete co-operation between the different departments was essential to secure efficiency, want of harmony was inevitable in consequence of each department looking after its own interests first, and, with circumlocution through the various offices necessitating each local head reporting the circumstances to his departmental head, who, in turn, communicated with another and possibly a third department, opportunity for removing difficulties with any degree of promptitude was remote. The interests of the three departments were divergent and a want of harmony was inevitable as there was no master-mind to exercise control.
The operating officers of the Locomotive and Traffic Departments had their own ideas as to the way in which traffic should be worked, and they naturally preferred to work it accordingly.
Under departmental organisation each separate department naturally endeavours to attain the results best suited in its own interests rather than the interests of the railways as a whole, and whilst this may not be done deliberately, it is the inevitable outcome of a system under which the efficiency of the railways as a public carrier is subordinated to departmental exigencies.
The only means of securing united effort on the part of responsible officers, and of avoiding friction caused through the clashing of departmental interests, is to make one officer the supreme head of the division and to place the other officers under his jurisdiction.
It has been urged that the secret of successful organisation lies in arranging that the units composing it shall act as one person, whilst utilising the utmost knowledge and experience of all.
The traffic, locomotive, and engineering branches being directly or indirectly connected with the operations of trains for the movement of traffic, the work of the division can be most efficiently carried out under one officer having complete control of the division. He can dispose of many minor points brought forward by the officers responsible for the running of trains and the maintenance of the line, either by decision on the spot or by reference to one superior officer. That is exactly what the transportation or divisional system of working ensures. This is the system which has been in operation throughout the South African Railways since Union, and, under it, the whole of the operations covering the movement of traffic are centred in one Transportation Department.
The South African Railways are at present divided into four systems, each system, so far as transportation is concerned, being under the direct control of an Assistant General Manager (corresponding to our New Zealand Divisional Superintendents) responsible to the General Manager. Each system, with the exception of Natal, is divided into two or three divisions (corresponding to districts in New Zealand), and each division is a complete unit under the charge of a divisional officer (District Traffic Manager and District Engineer in New Zealand). The divisional officer may be a professional or a non-professional man. If a traffic officer, he has a civil and a mechanical engineering assistant, designated Superintendent or Assistant Superintendent, to support and advise him, and an Assistant Superintendent to control the office force. All the officers are contained in one building and have one common staff of clerks to assist them.
The running staff, the maintenance staff, and the traffic staff, consisting of stationmasters, station clerks, inspectors, and foremen are under the Divisional Superintendent, from whom they receive all instructions and to whom they submit their reports. He is thus able to bring about results and to deal with matters which would otherwise be deemed to be entirely outside his scope.
The Assistant Superintendent (Maintenance) deals with matters affecting the maintenance of the line, and, similarly, the Assistant Superintendent (Mechanical) attends to engine and vehicle matters. The traffic official is styled Assistant Superintendent (Operating) and attends to the running of trains, delivery of goods, etc. In the absence of any one of the assistant superintendents another may act on his behalf no matter which branch of the work he usually undertakes.
The Divisional Superintendent, as the head of the division, is charged with the economical and satisfactory working of the whole of its operations. All expenditure on the division is debited against the Divisional Superintendent.
It is claimed that the transportation or divisional system tends to give officers a better training for the more responsible positions, than does the departmental system. It is undoubtedly the case that under the transportation, or divisional organisation, a broader view is taken of the working generally, and of various improvements along the line which are seen to be necessary from time to time. Under this system officers look more to general utility and less to the question as to who should bear the cost, and there is not the same tendency to take no interest in work which, under the departmental system, would be for the benefit of some other department.
On the South African Railways then, the outstanding features are that each system, with the exception of Natal, is divided into two or three divisions, each of which is a complete unit under the charge of a divisional officer (the Divisions correspond to our Districts); that the divisional officer may be a professional or a non-professional man, and, if a traffic officer, he has a civil and a mechanical engineering assistant to support and advise him, and an assistant Superintendent to control the office force; and that all the officers are contained in one building and have one common staff of clerks to assist them.
The running staff, the maintenance staff, and the traffic staff are under the Divisional Superintendent, from whom they receive all
The question naturally arises as to whether in New Zealand it would not be advantageous and more economical to abolish the positions of District Traffic Manager and District Engineer and to appoint District Superintendents with Maintenance or Traffic assistants as the case may be and, as a natural corollary, to house all the officers in one building and have one common staff of clerks. Personally, I think it would.
I am also of opinion that the organisation could be still further improved by appointing Assistant Divisional Superintendents instead of District Superintendents at Auckland and Christ-church—the headquarters of the Divisional Superintendents. This would obviate the necessity for separate offices and staffs for Divisional and District Superintendents, eliminate much correspondence, and permit of economies being effected in various directions. A further advantage would be that the Assistant Superintendent, who should be senior to the District Officers on the Division, would understudy the Divisional Superintendent, and would be capable of relieving him when necessary.
Actually, the present position in New Zealand is that we have Divisional Superintendents superimposed on the old Departmental organisation. In my opinion, as a result of this, that measure of co-ordination and co-operation that is desirable and should be capable of being effected under Divisional organisation, is hardly likely to be accomplished; for the different branches must inevitably continue to function more or less as such, whereas if the whole of the business were under one control the machine should work smoothly as a single unit which, after all, is the object of Divisional organisation.
In South Africa the Commercial side is under the control of the Divisional Superintendents. These, in turn, are responsible to the Assistant General Managers who centrol the respective systems. The circumstances existing in the Dominion no doubt differ from those in the Union, and the Dominion having established a Commercial Branch as a separate unit, which has undoubtedly been a success, I would not at the present time advocate placing the Commercial representatives in the various districts under the control of the District Officers. I wish, however, to emphasise the absolute necessity for close co-ordination between the District Officers and the representatives of the Commercial Branch in the interests of smooth and effective working; and I think, in view of the natural interrelationship of the Transportation and Commercial Branches, that both could with advantage be placed under one member of the board.
There is another direction in which I consider we could advantageously develop our organisation on the lines of that of the South African Railways:—For instance, increasing the authority of our Divisional Superintendents in connection with the authorisation of works; the settlement of claims; the retund of certain moneys where no principle is involved; the writing off of revenue which, owing to certain cricumstances, has become irrecoverable; the clearance of storage and demurrage charges, etc.
One effect of such development of Divisional organisation in New Zealand would be the elimination of a large amount of correspondence in the Districts, ancl also between the Divisional Superintendents and the Railway Board.
It is very undesirable that any matters which might reasonably be dealt with by Heads of Branches, I am Divisional Superintendents should be referred to the Board.
The working of the divisional system in other countries, I am convinced, is based on sound principles and has enabled many railways to obtain more satisfactory results than were obtainable by them under the departmental system. I am also convinced that it develops better all round railwaymen than the departmental system—men with a broader outlook which fits them to grapple successfully with the difficult problems constantly arising. Good team work is the secret of success in any large concern, and divisional organisation is designed to develop such work. Furthermore, divisional organisation gives plenty of scope to all members who take a keen, intelligent interest in their work. There is no cramping, narrowing influence, such as exists where the divergent interests of departments cause members to work selfishly instead of for the good of the railway as a whole.
Mr. A. W. Mouat, Commercial Member.
One of the most interesting developments in our Railways of recent years has been the creation and growth of a special branch, the members of which devote their attention especially to the sale of our commodity—Transportation—as distinct from the great majority of our staff who are engaged, so to speak, in the manufacture of our stock in trade. One has only to consider the matter for a moment to realise how entirely logical is this
The Railway Department is in a similar position. We manufacture and sell transportation. Our facilities for increasing the volume of our stock-in-trade are capable of enormous development. The more we develop, the lower will be the cost of production. And, as greater turnover and lower cost of production make for the material prosperity of the Department and, consequently, of the staff, it is directly to the interest of every member to increase the demand for our product.
Although previous appointments had been made of officers who were designated as Commercial Agents, it was not until 1924 that the first step was taken to constitute a business-getting organisation within the Department.
In that year, in pursuance of his policy of making a vigorous and sustained effort to retain and increase the Railway business, our Minister appointed a Commercial Manager with a staff of Business Agents in each Island. This is the official organisation at the present day, and it cannot be gainsaid that the main purpose of their appointment,—to retain and increase the business of the Department,—has been wonderfully successful.
In saving this, however, it must not be thought that all the credit is due to the few members directly attached to the Commercial Branch. No statement of the facts would be complete which did not ascribe to every individual member of the staff, outside the Commercial Branch, the fullest credit for their loyal and wholehearted co-operation in furthering the policy of the Department and the aims of the Branch. As a matter of fact it can well be said that the work of the Commercial Manager and his Business Agents could not have been nearly so successful, if the general staff had not rendered them the fullest assistance. It must also be remembered that in the future, as in the past, the success of the Department's efforts for “More Business” is, to a very great extent. dependent upon the continuation of this co-operation and assistance.
Every member—no matter what his position in the Service—who, by the display of interest in, and attention to the requirements of the public, creates a friendly feeling, or makes a friend for the Railways, is helping the cause.
After all, the money cost is not the only thing that counts. Service, polite, attentive and helpful service, counts in everyday life for as much as mere shillings and pence. Think of this in its personal aspect. Would you take your own business to an establishment where you were treated in an off-hand, don't-care-a-damn manner, if there is close by another establishment where you know you will be met with attention, courtesy, and interest in your requirements
This matter of courteous, attentive and helpful service is so vital to the popularity and success of our business that its importance cannot be overestimated nor can its constant practice be too strongly urged.
In meeting the keen road competition with which we are now faced in so many directions, it is very frequently the case that this factor—good service—is all that is needed to swing the business over to us instead of to our competitors. Generally the freight rates are in our favour, or if not, the difference is so small as to be immaterial, and the business goes to whichever system shows the most desire to look after the interests of the potential customer. Let us all resolve then that, so far as it depends upon us, that system shall be the New Zealand Railways.
The making of friends (and customers) is not necessarily restricted to those whose every request can be met. Many requests are, and will continue to be, made that it is not possible to accede to, but it does not follow because you cannot grant a man's request that you cannot keep his friendship for the Railways. On the contrary, these are the very cases that call for our best efforts. Show him that although you cannot do exactly what he wants, you are desirous of doing all that is in your power to help him. If you can, explain to him why his request cannot be granted, see if there is any alternative open of which he is not aware. In other words do your best to help him. By doing this you will find that you rarely lose a friend, but on the other hand you will frequently and unexpectedly make one.
From what has been said it will be seen then that the Commercial Branch of our Railways has grown from small beginnings till, now, every man on the pay roll, no matter to what branch he belongs, or what position he occupies in the service, is, and should regard himself as, a potential business-getter. Though everyone is not on all occasions dealing with an individual who is buying transport facilities, yet any man on the staff who, in the course of his work, makes a friend for the Railways may indirectly induce business although he may never hear of it.
Remember that each friend made for the Railways is a valuable asset, a possible source of business. It is up to every one of us who depends on the Railways for his livelihood, to keep this always in mind.
By keeping the idea of commercial enterprise constantly before us, and regarding the Railway as a kind of mill in which transportation, instead of wool or wheat, is the raw material needed to keep both the men and the machinery fully and profitably occupied, the economic aspect becomes clear. It is to the interest of every member to help to bring traffic to the trains; to keep loaded, prompt, and accurate, these swift shuttles of intercourse and commerce which are weaving ever closer the rich fabric of the Dominion's producing, manufacturing and trading interests, on which industrial and national stability and prosperity depend.
In your business or professional life, you rise or you fall according to you ability to get along with human beings, to command their respect, and to create a spirit of co-operation.
John Grier Hibben
President, Princeton University, U.S.A.
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A lady writing to the Department has suggested that the way to prevent accidents at level crossings, is for each train to stop at every crossing and whistle loud and long before proceeding to negotiate it.
Photographs of first large Coloured Posters in Educational Series to be exhibit in Workshops, Running Sheds, &c., throughout New Zealand.
Each Commercial Traveller is a potential freight-getter, intent on securing business for his employer. Good service to the traveller is good service to the Department, for if samples be miscarried, delayed, injured or destroyed by want of proper care on our part, loss of trade both to the firm concerned and to this Department is likely to ensue.
Every railwayman who handles Commercial Travellers' luggage can assist greatly in giving satisfaction by exercising proper care in handling and stowing.
Don't roll, push, or throw the containers about, but lift them.
Don't leave samples exposed to the rain.
Do use trollies whenever available, especially when loading into or unloading from vans, but in any case
Don't simply drop or push the containers from the van to the platform. Want of care in this respect causes 50 per cent, of the damage.
The goods are valuable—Handle them accordingly.
From the plan it will be seen that the layout of the new shops differs so much from the arrangement existing at any of those now in New Zealand that a description of the methods to be employed in operating them and of the principles involved will interest everyone.
Minimum handling of material.
Adequate facilities to do the work.
Provision for future extensions.
These are three important factors considered in the design. The layout is centered about a Midway, which is served by an overhead travelling crane throughout its length. All the main shops border on this Midway at one end, thus providing direct access from and to all other main shops and stores. Heavy material will be transported from wagons on tracks that intersect the Midway, and from shops to stores by means of the overhead crane. Lighter material will be transported inter-departmentally by electric trucks.
The main repair and building shops are located on one side of the Midway and the supply departments, namely, the Stores, Black-smithy and Foundry, are located on the opposite side of it, the minimum distance away, as these are the places where the heaviest traffic will be.
Further extension of any shop is provided for by extending away from the Midway.
Included in the plan is a wagon repair shop, it being necessary to provide facilities to handle heavy wagon repairs such as accumulate at each large terminal yard.
The locomotive shops themselves are designed with transverse pits. There are two shops that are served by a power traverser so that engines may be put into and taken from any pit without disturbing any other section of the work. One locomotive shop will handle engines for straight, heavy, medium or light repairs, and this shop has the Machine Shops behind it. The locomotive shop on the opposite side of the traverser will handle heavy boiler-work jobs and tenders, and the Boiler Shop is in the shop adjoining it.
In operation, engines will come direct from the yard on to the traverser. They will then be transported to, and put into the central bays of, the shops where the cleaning vats are located. There they will be stripped and all parts cleaned. The overhead crane will then lift the engine off its wheels and carry it over the other standing engines to its repair bay. Wheels will be cleaned and rolled back right into wheel gang where all repairs will be done. From the stripping and cleaning department all material will be distributed to the different specialised departments and will be returned to the engine pit for re-erection. Wheeling will be done by the crane on this job, after which the engine will be taken by traverser to the steaming test pit for final trimming and test prior to delivery into service.
I have been asked that question outside of the Department many times, but before going into details Is will try and answer the question generally. Is it something new! No, it is what all factory managers and engineers, from time immemorial, have included as part of their many duties. It is the. ‘specialist development of the science of industrial management,” just as every other science and job is specialised to-day to meet modern requirements of competitive business.
The late H. L. Gantt, that eminent management engineer who started this work on the Canadian Pacific Railway, in 1900, and to whom I owe. my owri original training, frequently described it thus:-
The scientific management of industries, the object of which is to do the right job, at the right time, on the right machine, by the right man, at the right cost.
Considering the hundreds of books, the dozens of magazines, and the numerous societies devoted to this specialised branch of management engineering, that answer is a very concise interpretation. If you think over his statement you will realise that its application is to any shop, department, industry, railway, or, in fact, to any industrial institution that considers business efficiency.
Production methods, which is only another term for scientific management, simply analyses management or shop methods into the finest number of elemental details, and examines them in the light of economics and experience, to get at basic facts. When the analysis is complete, the best is chosen in each case, and the whole built up into a new organisation or construction.
Frank B. Gilbreth, who has done outstanding work in motion study analysis, used to say, “Our object is to find the one best way.” In railway practices we are all doing the same class of work; exactly the same job in many cases, and each shop does it a different way. It does not require much brains to know they cannot all be best, right or cheapest. We must find the “one best way.” Mr. Gilbreth carried his investigations much further than the mechanical field and went so far as to take motion pictures of surgeons performing operations in large hospitals. Detailed examination of the films of all the different surgeons showed up the unnecessary motions, until what was recognised as the “one best way” was found, and the display of this film for the education of other surgeons with less opportunity has advanced the science.
Do not say that does not apply to us. It does. In railway work, by reason of the great similarity of the operations of all railways and railway shops, there is less excuse than ever for economic inefficiency. The first thing that is necessary is that we think right. Stop the thought that “because you have managed along certain lines for thirty years” it should be good enough. It is not, and that is the best reason why it is not. If true, it means that you have not advanced a step in thirty years. Well, the rest of the World has!
My object here is to get all departments and men concerned to think with an open mind on the subject. There are no secret methods and the best way is to explain in more detail, the reasoning behind the different phases of the work. Passing from generalities and principles involved, let me list a few of the specific jobs that the Railway Production Department requires to give attention to in actual practice:-
(1.) Planning shops, machinery and equipment in order that work may be properly routed, and planning the work by scheduling the operations to be performed to the desired economical result.
(2.) Co-ordinate all the Departments concerned in the output of each shop. In other words, get every department concerned to do its own function right.
(3.) Balance the shops organisation so that it can do economically what it is asked to do.
(4.) Get costing methods that are useful and useable to the men who are spending the money.
(5.) Analyse the methods employed for the purpose of arriving at the “one best way,” whether in offices or shops.
(6.) Budget Expenditures of all departments concerned so that it is known what is going to be spent before it is spent, and not after, when they are only history.
These are some of the subjects 1 shall explain further in future issues. Meanwhile I want to give you one—just one—reason behind “scheduling locomotives,” in regard to which
You will agree that a locomotive is only productive of revenue when on the road and that when it is in the shops it represents loss, because it represents a sum of money, say £7,000, lying idle. Figure the interest alone and you will realise that if we take only £10 per day as its earning value, we are taking a figure for this calculation far below the actual one.
Now, the average number of days an engine was “out of service” for a thorough overhaul in 1924 was over seventy. In a properly equipped and scheduled workshop, 35 days would be excessive, and it is much less in many shops outside New Zealand. From an “engine out of service” point of view, what is the difference to the Traffic Department between these two conditions? The difference is that double the number of engines are “out of service” under the old condition.
Scheduling work through shops does not mean necessarily that we are going to do work in half the time, and therefore double the period output. It just as correctly means planning the work to be done in half the time and yet to deliver the same period output. If this alone were done, the “out of service” days per period would be reduced by half, and this means that the Traffic Department would have available for revenue traffic an increased number of engines equal to half the total number held up for repairs, and this on our railway has been carefully figured out to be equal to forty more engines in service all the time. It is not difficult, therefore, to figure the saving possible by the application of schedule methods.
How is the shop affected? For each engine scheduled a careful plan is made stating when each section of the work is to be delivered to each detail department, and when it is required back in the Erecting Shop. All departments are given a schedule showing completion dates on all parts. The whole plan is co-ordinated with a master schedule which shows the position of each engine daily, and, by a system of cheeking every item not done “on time,” the Workshop Manager is able to prevent delays from affecting the final “out” date. Theoretically the men are working on half the number of engines to give the same output as formerly. Practically this condition may, or may not, be attained, due to the variation in engine classes and the classification of repairs.
The speeding up of the output by schedule methods is attained, not by any increased speed in performing machine or hand operations in detail, but by cutting down the time between jobs, by ensuring continuity of operations by having tools, drawings, materials and instructions in readiness ahead of requirements.
Tenders have been received for the new machinery required in outfitting the new workshops. These are at present being gone into carefully.
The second of the cars designed by Mr. G. S. Lynde (Chief Mechanical Engineer) for passenger traffic in sparsely populated districts on branch lines has been completed. The car is of light build, having a 20-h.p. engine and standard one-ton Ford chassis. Its maximum speed on the flat is 35 to 40 miles per hour. The Ford type was chosen by Mr. Lynde because it was the cheapest and had a very efficient engine, besides supplying an excellent service of spare parts. This type of car is intended for such places as are in the “back-blocks” category, having few passengers, and where the work can be done more economically with a car which needs only one man to work it, than with a train of two or three cars and a crew of three men.
New straight exhaust pipes are being fitted to engines, and are giving very satisfactory results in coal consumption and free steaming.
Grease, instead of oil lubrication, has been tried successfully on the big ends of “Ab” locomotives working express trains. The Chief Mechanical Engineer has now placed an order for fifty grease cups. When received and fitted on the big ends of “Ab's,” the use of lubricating oil for these bearings will be discontinued entirely. Further experiments are about to be conducted in the use of solid lubrication on other bearings. There are many advantages in grease lubrication. In a future issue the method of its use on big ends will be described.
The intermediate engine and tender drawbar-gear, on “Ab” locomotives has recently been thoroughly investigated, and a new design is now being tried out. Another design with slightly different details is also being made. The principal purpose of these is to give flexibility when traversing sharp curves and in negotiating undulating country. Another “Ab” improvement introduced is the use of forged instead of cast steel cross-heads.
Quotations for thirty-one new boilers for various classes of engines are being invited. Some of these are for replacements and some are spare. An order for ten of these boilers (super-heated) has recently been placed with Messrs. The North British Locomotive Company Limited, Glasgow.
Two hundred and fifty rolled steel disc car wheels are on order and will arrive shortly from England.
Spittoons now fitted in first class cars are to be replaced by ash trays of suitable design screwed on the interior walls of the ears. Hopper closets in cars will also be discontinued as soon as the first consignment of trapped W.C.'s specially made for railway purposes is received.
In a trenchant speech delivered at Pukerua Bay, the Prime Minister, when referring to his Department of Railways, said that he wanted the whole staff to “get the big idea.” This was essential before real progress could be made.
Such a movement to be successful should begin at the beginning. It was, therefore, with pleasure that we listened recently to one of the standard lectures prepared by Mr. M. L. Bracefield (Officer-in-Charge) and delivered, to new cadets, by Mr. E. Hayton of the Railway Central Training and Correspondence School; for it showed that a genuine attempt to put “The big idea” across, is being made in the Department's newly established training school for traffic beginners. Mr. Hayton said:—
You have but newly joined the Railway Department, and have to look ahead to forty years in the Service.
To succeed you must love your work, live it, walk it, talk it, have all your thoughts centred in it. Thereby you will make good. This is your great opportunity, and high aims are necessary to take full advantage of it. In starting off you should dream of future success, and, by will and perseverance make your dreams come true.
Put life and ginger into the tuition received here. Aim at perfection by close attention to detail, and remember that close attention to detail is what makes work interesting. Form the habit now and it will help you throughout your career. Even in routine work—such as invoicing—try to improve, to gain speed, to become expert, to go faster and get more done. Don't think any job a small one. Think of your job as big, and keep at it diligently.
The homework you get here gives opportunity for initiative. You have to think for yourselves. Appreciate the chance accordingly and you will find the main pleasure of life, that of self-development, lies at the back of these problems.
Try to improve your English; study the dictionary; read good authors; practice writing and spelling. Be assured that the further you go the wider will the field become, and the more certain will it appear that enjoyment of the work in hand is necessary for improvement and efficiency.
While the above is being delivered, there is another class across the room being lectured on tariff matters, and a group of boys near at hand are practising telegraphy. We note that some of these have drifted nearer and are listening hard, caught in the snare of the speaker's earnest oratory, as he continues:—
Brains and perseverance take you all the way. There are variations in mental capacity. But it is worth remembering that any brain-power handicap can be made up by “sticking to it.”
Don't miss any business-getting opportunities. We are instructing you carefully in the tariff. Well, a definite knowledge of the rates helps to secure traffic by giving that assurance to customers which accuracy alone can yield. If you hear any inquiry regarding Railway matters, do not hesitate to go right up and offer information. If you show courtesy and politeness your help will be appreciated, and your keenness will do credit both to yourselves and the Department. Remember in your dealings with the Public to give equal treatment to all. Personality is the thing that counts, that gets you along, that opens the road before you, and a strong personality is only developed by controlled behaviour. Remember that self-control gives power, and can accomplish all. Therefore cut out the “can'ts,” and make the song of the Loco—and all it means—your favourite melody.
Here a medley of sound, the bang of a typewriter and of several telegraph instruments, commingled with voices from the class across the room, impinges on the senses as Mr. Hayton takes breath in the straight for his final run home. Hear him:—
Punctuality is a necessity for the proper performance of business, and no one can be considered reliable who fails to observe this virtue. Then loyalty to the Department and to your fellow-officers is the mark of a gentleman and must be maintained inviolate. With it is associated trustworthiness—an essential to honesty of character.
In the matter of deportment, a respectful attitude is desirable. You should not be afraid to use the word “Sir.” There is no servility in it. To use it towards a senior is to treat him with proper respect. The public like it. If you practice using the term its use becomes automatic and gives constant pleasure. Then you should all study cleanliness, tidiness and attention to your personal habits, in order that you may improve them and eliminate all things from your way of life which might impede self-development and progress. Thus will your self-respect be increased and your personal value augmented.
The attention of the whole staff is drawn to the work being carried on from this, the Department's Training and Correspondence School. Here is your chance for a systematic education in the science of transportation. Come along and enrol as a student. Take the earliest opportunity of engaging in the study of your job. See the whole course ahead of you. Make your own chances. Get “the big idea.”
2. Golf House. Honolulu.
3. Waikiki Beach, Honolulu.
4. Glacier Station, C.P.R. Railway.
5. Through the Selkirks.
6. Clearing Snow, Winnipeg.
Several of the large manufacturers of permanent way equipment in Britain were visited and the latest developments fully discussed.
A matter brought forcibly home to many railways by competition is the cost of track maintenance on light traffic, non-productive lines. Considerable saving has been achieved in some cases by lengthening out the gang-lengths and providing a motor trolley for the gang. Investigations are being made with a view to adopting some such method on our own light traffic lines. The use of motor trolleys for line gangs is fairly general in America, but is quite unsuitable for the greater part of our system owing to sharp curves and deep cuttings. None of the labour saving devices inquired into seemed to be suited to our conditions. They generally require considerable space at the side of the track and are only economical on a big face of work.
The general practice of bridge design and records was touched upon in passing, but no close investigation could be made. Our bridge design conforms to the best practice, and it would appear that we are well ahead of most railways in the systematising of our bridge records.
The commercial field was explored as far as time permitted, and information was obtained in regard to machinery, tools and material applicable to railway maintenance and construction work. Notes were made of various functions outside my particular sphere. The education of staff, the warehousing and issue of stores, the feeding of passengers en route and at terminals, sleeping accommodation on trains, etc. Much that was seen and learned requires to be carefully equated to our system, which has many features peculiar to itself.
The Taranaki roads are the best in the Dominion, a fact which has made more difficult the task of the Department in regaining the traffic lost there to motor transport. But the road competition was also very severe further south, notably between Wanganui and Marton, Feilding and Palmerston North, and between Palmerston North and Wellington. After exhaustive investigations as to the quantity of traffic being carried over the road from Wanganui to Marton, Feilding and Palmerston North, and as to the rates being charged by the lorry owners, our rates were cut below those of the opposition and an extensive canvas was undertaken in an endeavour to win the traffic back to its proper channel, the State-owned transport system.
The results have been very gratifying and the train traffic from Wanganui to the towns mentioned has been growing steadily, with a consequent increase in the revenue and an easing of the burden of lorry traffic on the roads.
The lorry owners of Palmerston North who had been running in competition with us between that town and Wellington, decided about a year ago to form an Association and to act as feeders to the Railway instead of competitors. They had found that long distance runs were not a payable proposition and invited representatives of the Department to meet them and discuss the question of transport. Several meetings took place and eventually the Association agreed definitely to act as feeders of the Railway.
Prior to this, special cut rates for benzine had been instituted from Wellington to stations as far north as Marton and Woodville, from New Plymouth to stations to Patea, and from Wanganui to stations to Marton. The primary object was to eliminate the back loading for the lorries and the results have more than justified the reductions in rates.
Every effort was made to secure the butter and cheese output from factories, meetings of Directors of Dairy Companies being attended and the claims of the Department urged. Reductions were made where necessary to secure the traffic and in many cases the stipulation was made that the benzine traffic for the Dairy Factories should be placed on the rail.
An extensive canvass was undertaken for the wool traffic, woolgrowers being personally interviewed and quoted through rates from wool sheds to destination. The wool traffic in the Wanganui district already shows a large increase over last year.
The passenger traffic has also been exploited, and where a demand existed, Sunday trains were run. The Sunday trains from Hawera to the New Plymouth beaches and from Palmerston North to Foxton have been well patronised and very much appreciated by the public.
The steps that were taken to arrest the flow of traffic from the Railway have been fully justified by the results. The Wanganui district revenue is about £45,000 to the good compared with last year and apart altogether from this there is a very fine relationship existing between the public and the members of the Railway Service to-day due to the loyal, obliging and efficient way in which the Railway men have carried out the policy of the Department.
Photos secured by Mr. J. Mason in the course of His Tour
1. Aboriginal Woman (Gin) and Children, taken at “Oldea” Station, on Australian Trans-continental Railway.
2. War Memorial Watch Tower—Somme Battlefield.
3. Arabic Theatre, Cairo.
4. The hill where lies Cecil Rhodes, Matoppas, Rhodesia, S.A.
5. In foreground, Wild Cosmos; Background, “Blue Mountains,' Basutoland, South Africa.
6. Railway Bridge over Zambesi River, just below Victoria Falls.
Looking sun-tanned and particularly fit after nearly a year occupied on his round-the-world tour in search of railway information, Mr. J. Mason, the first member of the Railway Board to be despatched abroad in conformity with the Ministerial policy for reorganising the Railway, was his usual, even, possessed self when visited at his office in the brick building in Featherston Street where the Heads of the Railway are housed. He was quite prepared to tell, for the benefit of members of the service, about the things he had seen and the information he had gained in the course of his globe-embracing itinerary.
Mr. Mason, it will be remembered, set out on his travels accompanied by Mr. Angus, Locomotive Engineer, and with him were also associated, at times in England, Mr. Davidson, Assistant Chief Engineer, and Mr Pickard, formerly of the Wellington District Traffic Office.
The general movement was an outcome of the plan for the education of Railway Officers adopted by the
Mr. Mason included his confrères in alluding to the tour, and paid a tribute to the assistance rendered by them in securing information likely to be of advantage to the working of the Railway system in this country.
Referring to the fact that never before had Railway Executive Officers from New Zealand officially visited England, he remarked that on their present tour they had been “trailblazers.” Members of the service who might in future be sent overseas to bring back the wider vision and surer knowledge, which personal contact with the practice and problems of overseas railroading confers, would have the benefit of the guidance which his own experience and that of Messrs. Davidson, Angus and Pickard has rendered available.
Speaking generally, Mr. Mason said that if anyone expected, as a result of their inspection of Railway conditions in other lands, that a sweeping alteration in the railway methods of this Dominion was likely to be undertaken, they were doomed to disappointment. Nothing of the kind was at present either necessary or desirable.
The chief benefits derivable from the close inspection of overseas railroad methods lay rather in details of administration and technique—matters often small in themselves which were none the less important, and which, in the aggregate, helped to pave the road for successful operation. Still there would be certain directions in which alterations could with advantage be made