The Manawatu Herald. Thursday, February 12, 1914. NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXVI, Issue 1207, 12 February 1914, Page 2

The Manawatu Herald. Thursday, February 12, 1914. NOTES AND COMMENTS.

What has Foxton to say to this : —“The suggestion that an alteration be made in the Foxton timetable, to enable Feildiug residents to connect conveniently with the beach trains, came before the Palmerston Chamber of Commerce. It was desired that the 8.5 p.m. train be delayed on Saturday evenings from Palmerston until 9 o’clock. Monday morning train from Foxton be altered to reach Palmerston in time to connect with the 7.10 a.m. train for Feilding The district traffic manager (Mr J. E. Armstrong) wrote to the stalionmaster for a report on the subject, and stated that if the Foxton train left Palmerston after connecting with the 345 train from Wanganui, passengers arriving from Foxton would require to stay over Sunday; also Foxton people would be unable to have Saturday night in Palmerston up till 8.5 p.m., as at present. He thought that if the train was to leave Foxton to connect with the 7 a.m. train on Monday it would be too early for Foxton, as it would require to leave there about 5.30 a.m. The chairman (Mr Nathan) stated he had waited upon the stalionmaster in reference to the matter. The latter bad stated there would be no objection to delaying the 8,5 p.m. train on Satday, but the second request could not be granted, as that meant leaving Foxton at 5.30 o’clock, and the Beach at 4.30 o’clock, and the number of Feilding people who would be travelling would not warrant this.

Speaking on naval defence at Te Aroba on Tuesday night, Mr Massey said he did not think there should be any difference of opinion on the subject. We had in the past paid the Imperial _ Government ,£IOO,OOO annually in a subsidy. Hereafter there would be deducted from that payment the cost of the training ship Philomel, so that there was no contemplated increase in the expense. The interest and sinking fund on the gift warship was about which, added to the ,£IOO,OOO subsidy, made ,£245,000 for naval defence. In 1909 an agreement was entered into between the New Zealand Government and the Admiralty, under which the latter proposed to place her two Bristol cruisers, three destroyers and two submarines in these waters. But what bad we got ? Apart from the Philomel there were the Psyche and Pyramus, two boats useful for policing the Pacific and other purposes, but obsolete as fighting ships. With the officers and men no fault was to be found, but no doubt the ships were out of date. The Government had asked the Home authorities to comply with the 1909 agreement, and bad said if this were done, and if within eighteen mouths they would give us two Bristol cruisers, New Zealand would pay another ,£50,000 a year. So far there was no reply. The matter could not be allowed to rest. If something was not done it would be the duty of the Government to ask Parliament for authority to build at least onecruiser in a British shipyard. He denied that the cost of this would be as enormous as Sir Joseph Ward said. It was about time New Zealand made up her mind as to how much she could afford to pay for combined naval and land defences. He believed the Pacific would be the storm centre in the future, where the British people would have to fight for their supremacy. We should do all that was possible to ensure naval supremacy in these waters,