A rather disagreeable question hag arisen upon the taking over by Canada of the Grand Trunk Railway. According to the statement made by the Canadian Government in an agreement made in 1919, it was stipulated that none of the assets of the line should. be disposed of without the consent of Canada. In December of last year the Dir-actors, just prior to the actual surrender of the railway, voted themselves five year's directors' fees, and this the Government regards as disposing of assets, while it is curious to know if any sums have been voted to other officials. The Government is fully aware that the British Railway Act expressly provides for such a payment when a line is taken over in the way the Grang Trunk was; and further than that, it has all the books of the line now in its possession. But in spite of this it has appointed, or intends to appoint, a Royal Commission to inquire into the matter. It cannot be said that the action of the Government nicers with genera] approval. The Leader of the Opposition, while thinking the voting of the fees to be questionable, says that the appointment of the Commission is more in the interests of the paid Commissioners of the Government than it is in those of the public. Some of the papers say that the action of the directors is in the nature of a "grab'; but others say that no body of leading British men would do anything which would", lay them open to censure by the Canadian Government, and that the matter is one which could have been settled easily and quickly by the Finance or Railway Minister without all the objectionable publicity of a Royal Commission, by which the Government will be placed in an unfortunate and awkward position if the Commission finds, as is most likely, that the directors were justified in their action. The matter may appear at first sight not to be of any very special importance; but it must be borne in mind that there have been some troublesome financial matters already in connexion with the terms of taking over the Grand Trunk, which led to an appeal to the Privy Council, and complaints have been heard as to the rights of Canddian Banks in certain matters which are claimed to be to the detriment of British concerns, while there have been other somewhat similar financial difficulties which need not be specially mentioned This casting of reflexions upon the Grand Trunk directors will not help to mend matters.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.