The Manawatu Herald. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 6, 1923. FOXTON RAILWAY SERVICE.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 2642, 6 October 1923, Page 2

The Manawatu Herald. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 6, 1923. FOXTON RAILWAY SERVICE.

ANTICIPATING, proha lily, a request for railway concession- durill" his recent brief visit to Pox ton, the Minister of' Railways made an indesereet statement. Tie said that the Foxton-Palmerslon railway was an incubus and inferred that from a revenue producing; point of view it could he done without. Purifier, he asked whether a subsidy to improve the road would not he preferable io the railway. This statement, published broadcast, is calculated to prejudice not only the port but the whole district. What at present applies to the Foxton line some little time since, applied with'-equal force to the whole railway system of the Dominion hut instead of suggesting that our railway system be discontinued as a Slate undertaking steps were taken to improve the administration and this, together with an improved outlook, has enabled the railways to clear overhead expenses and to make up a little leeway. As touching the Foxton branch line, we would remind the Minister that for years the Foxton branch line supplied thousands of pounds in revenue to the working railways account and helped to make up deficiencies from other non-paying lines. Even if the Foxton branch line is not revenue-produc-ing for the next decade, the general railways account would si ill be its debtor. To judge the line on the present- state of affairs, for which tin* Railway Department must take most of the blame, is manifestly unfair and the Minister's llippant utterance was not only indesereet, hut unjust. In any case we would point out to lilt 1 Minister that I lie railways exist for the couveiiienr * of the public rather than as a pro-fit-making Slate undertaking. The railway department robbed —we are not going to use a milder term — the port ol‘ thousands of pounds during its control and did its best to cripple the port when the control was transferred to the Harbour Board. We can rake up a little past history which would not only be educative to the .Minister but would silence any furl her slighting reference to (lit l brunch Ine. Further, neither the people of the district or Parliament would seriously consider for one moment the ill-considered suggestion of closing the Foxton branch line. With improvements to the port and increased shipping, il is probable that within a few years the branch line will not only show a substantial profit but will necessitate and demand the expenditure of a. considerable sum on its development. To make llippant statements about an important brunch of the railway service in order to counter some mild request, is a dangerous procedure which Mr Coates would do well to avoid in future.