TO SECURE FAIR PLAY

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 852, 25 June 1910, Page 7

TO SECURE FAIR PLAY

IN RAILWAY MATTERS. , KORTH ISLAND LEAGUE FORMED. ITS AIMS AND OBJECTS. IBy Tblcgranh.—Special' Correspondent! • Palmerstcn, Juno 21. Captain Haydon, president of tho Falnicrs'con iSortli Chamber of Com-. niorce, president over a meeting of dele- ; gates ot .Chambers of Conuuerco of tho North Island this afternoon, tho object of tho'meeting being in con- | ■ iieotion with the. proposal emanating I from, the Hastings Chamber to form a North Island railway league. Tho following, delegates woro present: M6ssrs. ; G. W. Bull (Whangarei), Toswill and Herbert (Pahia'tua), I'eacocke and F. ' Clarke (Railway; League, Auckland), G. 10: Clarke (Cambridge),/!'. Bayno (Dannovirke),; ]£. Harding (Dargaville), G. | [T. Allen (Hketahuna), W.' F. liramMVoir(l<'oilc!uig), Moodie and Carey t .(Masterton), E. Griffiths (New Ply-- ' jnouth), C. Ellison and Douglas (Ntt- . pier), Ti B. V/illiauis. A. Burnett, and •" A. Harris (Wanganui), J,; G. Harkness ' .(Wellington), Collins and Purnell (Marto 11), R. B. M'Kenzie_(Rongotea), R. ' Haydon, J. A. Nash. J. Al. Johnston, G, A. l J reece,'and —. Gardner (Pal-. : jnerston North). How tho North Island is Treated. Mr. G. Ebbett (Hastings) Baid that (■ he recognised that the position of tho ■ Minister for Railways was a difficult , ono, and .that'ho could not please everybody. v. : The foundation of tlio .".trouble was that the bulk of tho Ministry had for some time come from tlio South Island, but that did not dispuse o'r tno fact that tho North Island, m tho matter of railway votes, had been very unjustly treated, and every credit was due ■ to Tun..'-'Dominion and other papers for tho work" which they had done in tho ; matter. The .'North Island produced three-quarters of-the produce ol New Zealand, and was responsible for threev fifths of the revenue. The speaker then ■went on to quote figures to prove his . contention of unjustness. . East year £737,00U had been allocated for railways, and of thifc £415,4-19 wont to the ; South, and £287,500 in the North, and ... that notwithstanding tho fact that tho North Island lines were revenue earners, and the South Island lines heavy losers. Tho North Island produced three-fifths of the money, and they did not get half. of it back. The position, .was unfair and a, scandal, and it_ was surprising that the-people of the North , Island took that unfairness '.'lying down." Tho Minister Had -mado ul- , leged answers, but. they were not answers. The Prime Minister, went ' to. .Auckland and tried to explain niattors by ringing in the roads, Jlr. Mackenzie liad quoted notoriously incorrect figures, and Mr. Millar went about the North Island saying that we must make, the railways pay.. Why did he not go and toll them that in the South, where • the 'railways wero - not ; paying ? ■ .The ; speaker, then went oil to refer to diffor- ,■ ential -rates. - I'or every . ton ot goods carried "in the South Island tliey paid 3s. 9d.; less, than was tho case in the !■ North,, and -this difference represented '' nearly! a million pounds. Tho difference , . in passenger traffic was about the same.. This monoy was being dragged out of the North Island in order to build, unpayable'lines in the South. Tliey wanted the North Island to combine,. : so. that, .-.''they -, could, go in i'a." body. . to"" .'tho Government ■and insist 011 n inoro equal allocation of votes'. The .present position should hot .be . tolerated—the North Island seemed absolutely unable to get ; justice. ■ The Railway, League, should it bo formed, should keep out. of party politics... . His idea was that various . branches of the league should, bo inaugurated ail over, the North Island, and that, all. requests for grants should be placed before the main league, so that ■ they- could go to the Government us 0110. united whole. He moved: — "That a North Island Railway League, be formed, and that it bo constituted of delegates from every -. Chamber of Commerce and every . branch of tlio Fanners' Union in the North Island.". Mr: R. B. M'Kenzio (.Rongotca' branch of the Farmers' Union) seconded the motion. He stated that on the question of railway 'expenditure 1 the Farmers' Union and Chambers of Commerce were in accord, but the Farmers'. Union. was a New Zealand institution covering both the North : , and South Islands. Thero was, however, no reason why iiidividual brnnches of the Farmers' Union should not join .in the movement. l League Must Pull Together. Mr. Peacock© (Auckland said that the subject was one of the most important public questions of the day to tlie North Island. ' The figures quoted had never been contradicted. . hi the North Island they had the larger population, least'miles of railway, biggest J. revenue' from railways, and railways run at a profit over and above interest on capital value,' wliilo hi tho South Island railways wero' run at a loss. The question should be dealt with from a. colonial point of view, and they had an argument which could bo used as a Dominion one. If they had B. Railway League, they would require to pull together, and all to one end. Provincial- railway leagues worked all right, - but a North Island league was different. Each province naturally thought that its own lines '..'wero tho most necessary, and it would bo hard to get a league'to pull together without friction. It would, therefore, bo necessary for basis to be laid down showing the lines which were to be pushed forward, thus preventing any chance of friction afterwards. The Auckland ■ Chamber favoured - tho . proposal that each particular province should have its hands perfectly free to push , the interests of any linos which )t thought nt, but it would not do for any particular place to bo out-voted as parochial feehpgs would crop'up; and that would bo a weakness. As long as they, could hold together, thev would be a power, and, therefore, 'it was necessary that sonio common agreemcnt as 'to a basis of work should :be am ml at before any dofinite. steps woro taken - to form' 1 league, v-; •• • Mr.'-T..8. Williams (Wanganui) \ favoured setting up a committee, as suggested by Mr. I'eacocke to go into the matter of construction and to formulato a. schetno for submission to another.similar meeting at a later date , He was not in favour of Farmers'l Union branches, joining in tho proposal at present. Tlio North Island was fifty, years behind tlio South, and it was timo that more money should bo expended in tho North.

Who Should bo Members? air. J. G. Harkness (Wellington) thought that, at present, it would bo W'so, to confine the -lcaguo to members of tho Chamber of Commerce. lie did not wish to suggest that the'interests of commcrco, ami of tlie farming community,; v.-ere not one, but they could snlargo tho proposal later, and then bring in the Farmers' Union. Regarding tho question of rates, ho explained that the places whore rates wore reduced wcro in tho snburbaji areas, and, as to expenditure, tlie Government had spent a million on the Manawntu lino, mid- that was a great 'tiling. Ho suggested that tho meeting should draft a constitution, and get. the consent of all tho Chambers of Com-

merco to that constitution, but the great thing was that thero should ho loyalty to tho constitution. llr." Ellison (Napier) suggested that the league should ho formed so that its solo aim should bo.the fairer allocation of tho Public" Works votes between tho two islands. That far they might combine, but, if tho league, went further than .that, there would probably .bo friction. Mr. EllisOn.' then went on to speak of the need ior bettor railway facilities on the East Coast. Jlr. Harding (Ivaipara) spoko of suburban fares, stating that ho did not, think that tho importance of the city of Invercargill was sufficient to. warrant it being granted suburban railway fares. The advantage of the construction of railways in tho North Island would he an advantago "to tho whole of • the Dominion, and they wcro dealing .with tho matter as a Dominion question: . Messrs., Bain (Rnnncvirke), Harris (Waiiganui), Griffiths (New Plymouth), Moodio (Alasterton), and Mossman (Hastings) added their views to the discussion. No Parochialism. Mr. J. 51. Johnston thought that the South Island had been treated rather harshly, as the South. Island railways were under construction long before the North Island lilies. . . The railways in Invercargill and vicinity paid handsomely. Mr. Peacock said that tlicro was 110 reason why there should not be unanimity between the north and south of this island. (Hear, hear.) Ho was only trying to suggest a way in which they could come in with their hands free.. . Mr. Ebbett then amended his resolution as follows: '.'That .1 North Island Railway League bo formed, constituted by delegates." They must not bo in a violent hurry. They might get a Pahnerston Committee set up to draw up a constitution to bo forwarded to the various chambers. ■ Mr. Ebbett, replying, said that the question was not a parochial 011 c.'' It was merely a question of the allocation of fundsbotween the two islands. They were thero to endeavour to prevent such a huge sum as £162,000 going to tlio , South for railway expendituTo more than was" coining to "tho North; Tho meeting, representative of _ tlio Chambers of Commerce of the North Island, had met with tho object of obtaining a-fairer distribution, and also with the objcct of inquiring into tho system of differential freights.and rates as between tlio North and tho South. A committee of delegates was thenset up to frame a constitution for tho I league. • Platform and Officers. Wh.oll tho meeting resumed, the following rules were adopted:— The league to bo named the North Island Railway League. Membership to consist of chambers of commerce of the North Island and of other public bodies (is the league from time to time may.. determine. Delegates from chambers not to exceed two . from, each calnnber, . each to bo entitled to 0110 vote at tilia league meetings. ■ Subscriptions: For each chamber, wlu>re tho membership is un- . dor 50, tw - o guineas; over 100 1110 - ! befs, three guineas; .over 200' members, fivo guineas. ..... That the general objects of tho league shall be:—-. (1) To obtain, a ' fairer dis-

tribution of railway expendi-

ture as between the two islands ; (2) to deal with rates

Amd freights' and such other matters as deemed advisable. The first general meeting to bo . Iwkl a.t 'Palmorston during the { •..Winter Show week', jjv"l9ll. The election of officers resulted as fol-lows-President, Mr. H. Haydon (Palmcrston); vk-e-presidents, Messrs. G. L. Peacocke (Auckland) ajid C. Ellison (Napier).; secretary and treasurer, Mr. W. M'Kenzio (Pflmers-ton North); executive committee, Messrs. Mobsman, T. B. Willia.ms, J. G. Harkness, J. M. Johnston, T. B. Moody, and E. Griffiths.

It was further reso'ved: That this meeting representing tho whole of the dhaanbors of commerce ill the' North ■Island desires to -call the attention of tho Government to the injustice which tho North Island has suffered for years past in the matter of railway construction, and strongly urges 'that a more vigorous policy of railway constriction be .at once undertaken in tho North Islamd; a copy of-the' resolution, to be sent, to the Ministry, and all tho North Island members.