RAILWAY MATTERS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 1096, 14 September 1912, Page 3

RAILWAY MATTERS.

A LABOURITE’S VIEWS

“Parliament is mole blind, ” said a prominent Labour organiser to a New Zealand Times representative. “ They lose money on carrying racehorses, and they lose money by refusing to give concessions to children. Was there ever such blindness ? Do you mean to tell me,” he continued, “that it wouldn’t pay to carry children free ? I guarantee that it would be the finest project for filling our half empty trains with profitable traffic. For every two children carried an adult would pay full fare. Perhaps two adults. It would be a splendid opportunity for working mothers, something lo save tor, and something to look forward to, the introduction of a gleam of sunshine into their drab lives. Besides, I repeat, it would pay. But why all this concern about polo ponies and racehorses ? What do racehorses do? They induce traffic ! Certainly. But what sort of traffic ? It means that thousands of people are encouraged to travel to racecourses who might be more profitably employed at useful avocations. Not only so ; they are induced to spend money which often does not belong to them. What is the result ? They can’t pay their bakers’ and butchers’ bills. This means that the honest stay-at-homes, the men and women with families who are refused privileges, have to pay more for their goods as a set off against the bad debts of the wasters. And why concessions to racehorses, and not concessions to those who want to carry ordinary horses and cattle up and down the country ? If a small settler wants to take a cow or a horse on to a bush farm he has to pay full rates. He gets no concession. There are no concessions to the useful people, or for the home-makers, but plenty oi concessions for theatricals, footballers, and all those sort of people. The railway schedule fairly reeks with anomalies, but not one politician has the industry or the pluck to’ bring the matter before Parliament. In Canada and America the private railway companies give concessions to the producers because they know that bread thrown upon the water will return almost immediately.. Here, where the jockey is a demigod, and the spieler a confidant of men in high places, we do things differently, It will never be altered until we get a few strong, fearless Labour men into the House wao will tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth about the political jugglery and chicanery that is going on.”