Manawatu Herald. THURSDAY, JULY 9, 1896. School Excursion Trains.

Manawatu Herald, 9 July 1896, Page 2

Manawatu Herald. THURSDAY, JULY 9, 1896. School Excursion Trains.

♦ We are glad to notice by the last number of Mansard to hand, that Mr Maslin asked the Minister for Railways if he would provide that, where the full cost of school excursion trains are guaranteed, a refund of five per cent ehall be made to the guarantors, towards defraying the cost of promoting such excursion. Last year a similar request was made by the Chairman of the Foxton School Committee, on similar grounds, and waa refused. The Minister admitted that in several districts where the trains had apparently been successful, grievances had arisen because a certain allowance had not been made ; but in dealing with this matter he had to deal with the colony as a whole. Taking these excursions as a whole, all over the colony, the railways carried < 108,000 men, women, and children, the revenue from which only came to £7,200. The department had made a considerable loss. Looking at this statement from a business point of view, we should have thought the answer the Minister gave would have] proved to him the necessity of granting the small concession asked for, as the application came from districts " where the trains had been successful," showing the advantages to be gained by the " push " of the promoters. We have admitted the concession to the school children is a boon, and should much regret if, from the want of energy in other districts, encouragement was not given to the department to continue them ; but, as the department alleges it runs these trains for school children, they will only get children, unless the promoters are assisted in making them more widely known. In the two local excursions from Foxton, the numbers would only have been half what they were had not the School Committee gone to some expense in notifying'the fact, a course which the Minister apparently discourages. The cost of these trains are the same if they carry 200 children, or if, in addition they carry 200 adults, and as adults have to pay more than the children, it can be easily, seen how the department is shaping for a future loss. The Minister is reported to have " thought the people themselves should, on behalf of the children, do as much as they possibly could to make these excursions successful." Unfortunately the term " the people" is so very general that no one answers to it, and very few are patriotic enough to find expenses for the general amusement. School Oommittees are proverbially " hard up," and have no funds available for this purpose, so that, unless the Minister reconsiders his decision the jutlook for these excursions this year will be a poor one, viewed from the lepartment's standpoint.