RAILWAY CONCESSIONS WANTED.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 91, 6 April 1908, Page 3

RAILWAY CONCESSIONS WANTED.

Per Press Association. Wellington. Last Night. Delegates representing the National Defence League" are to meet in Wellington *Ws Easter. In reference to this ; Be Minister of Railways, the Hon. W. Ball-Jones, received a deputation yesterday. Mr. J. P. Firth, president of the aTeflington branch of the League, urged that the object of the League was to help the Government in the matter "i defence. Seeing the object- of the Fas tcr gathering, it wan thought the Government ought to allow the .Meg'fes free pa-ses nn the railway. The mini her of delegates would be about twenty. The steamship companies had granted considerable concessions.

The Minister, in reply, said there were j two departments in the public sen ice, i the post and telegraph and the railways. | which should be looked upon m commer- | dal undertakings. They never (or «el- | doml heard of anyone trying to get free postage or free telegrams. If there were any country in the world where they needed to payHttention to defence it was New Zealand, which was at Mich * great distance from the heart of the Empire, and where at any time the; might be thrown upon their own re sources, and have to rely upon their own people to hold the position until reinforcement-! arrived. Tie was entirely with them in the great and goo',| work that they were doing, but as to the Railway Department, were now granted to memlwrs of friendly societies and clergymen attending 'heir annual conferences, and to do what Mic deputation a-knl would mean the framing and gazetting of a new regulation. Tin- finly alternative was to grant free pas-is. which, lie assured them, was a priiilcg,. that he jcaloiiSlv guarded. T n this i-asi.. tin. League was intimately associated with the Defence Department. and hi.s suggestion was ihat if any con cession were granted it -li'mlil com,- «j a charge on the department witii which Die deputation wa« associated. Personally lie did not feel incliiicl i„ ~„,, ply with the request, but he would refer the matter to Cabinet.