PROTECTING THE RAILWAY LINE.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLI, Issue 9740, 5 March 1914, Page 6

PROTECTING THE RAILWAY LINE.

THE MINISTER FOR RAILWAYS INTERVIEWED.

FINAL DECISION AS TO FENCING * HELD OVER.

v. the Borough Council Chamber last evening the Mmistt r for Railways was interviewed in regard to the question of !>:. insr thi railway line in .Main street. The Mayer presided, and there were also pvi-sent: (rs Nathan. ' rabb. Bennett and Voss. Messrs MA. Elioti and T. R. Hod-(i-T (Chamber of Commerce), and Messrs W. Milverton. T. Griggs, W. Cook. R. Edward", Edol Warburton. M. O'Reilly'. 1!. Smith, Gqwer and Butzbadi (representit ■:■ Main street residents and propcriv .-•:;•:-. Mr !)• Buick. M.P., introduced the :;■ akor> to the Minister. ■ MR BiaCK'S REMARKS. Mr Buick said several motions ni mier- «■- r t' FainTTston would be brought under I the Minister's notice. Firs; there was tb*» I

question of fencing Main sir. of along the uilway line. Scan" tunc ago ;i sad aeci- I iient Nee; place by which iwo children were killed. Later a Borough Councillor ! had a narrow escape, and there had h -an ' otlief of .1 similar kind. He brought ; rhooe matters before the Minister in his ■ i a parity as member for the distiict, and ' ■ueeceded in setting an undertaking thai trains <hould not pass on the crossingsand mat the railway hue should !>•■ fenced in n.'xr financial year. 11.' thought he had ' done very well, but he did not apttear to ' have satisfied the rc-idi-tiis ..!' Palmerston ; North, arni partieidariy the Borouirli < nun- ' eil. Then h r ' had bee: somewhat surprised to ;•• eivc a petit ion from residents of Main street asking that the hue !*> riot | fenced. ; A!" Buiefc v, :.] r h? nritina. wl i<h waul a, :• Hows:- "We. [H-ot-ertv-hold-rs «.| Main ,rrc-. Ka*l. Palm-nt- -i North, leans that you are i-orisi-lcriiiu die qre .t\ „. of rioi: wo wmdd >■> pec'fully \> ■■ ;i>: out that firstly: Prc-ut'iably the obji<t of feniing children from tre.-pas-iiur; ..'-oridlv. such Ih> ev|..r..i to put th ■.••■ would n<>i render thi en ssing safe ; thirdly, i ;.. • idem has occurred on the line with ihe ■ >: epn'on of r : iat to rhe two litt!' • tii'dt' si r. ef'tuly. and tiii- ;.« ideu' ! .ok ; lace u:- ! nn 15 vuriU of the T-.rraee End railway t:.ri..r, er-xing ; efos*it!g- on the iiiu very dangerous fo r ail kinds of traffic by i.U rueting ail viow I !»•• redut ~! to ;'•• - mih >: ab . that we will j J}: !// : ,7; \ ! hAe'X ' : gh; : ;. .r : uth tides. Th. resident-, of j -'•fa::: -• ■• k"t»w !:w>i abu:: t iie matte;. Mr i< ;••'■: - . ] •: -oiiatly he a:d no bias j •'" wa\ ... Mother, and lie wa» sorry «nv I ait.-tipe had been made to malo political ' "if V''■ '.na.ie :."C:le-wv:: ":". i : ':_ the ' neing \h> V ~l,i with I «'■.">::.: ' ■-! i;nar i tiai"y.vr; ' <}., u!d liave j hear wear tin \ hail to -;•-.-. Mr Buii k then ) THE r>OROL*GII ' •nUNC!L"S VIEWS.!

The Mavor kvi\ that < n b. half of tin |

~< tro I- . '!':,■_ to.,:' '•>! as a who!" wus j tVncinj tin- ; ::: . ami there was. a deputaof' tliv ~'• •■'- bet >.'e U-e Mm- M iit-r. Tii ;■■• w.To o.iu-? mat; •;■« c .nm.-cti-d i , A*t B > the ivil'v:,;. line. °h'' !; town foi-'a i..-!:.jf ti'm -and "knew thi- dan-.: I

•f* rea.i.v d sniyii children froiti the railway lint—( liLlrcn vho wore noi old enough ' 10 \: : :-'v. ; hat i!e v wei ■ in dungei and ! who had w LtHiiT.i'l i.ii f.i •;. !im-. The > Mayor referred to the lauiemabie accident ■ had also ' Cell one < il' ! '.'. ci do a ;i,S i>\' lit •( 1 " ' [♦••irt on <• her (.art.- of the line 1 ii* ( Mayor -aid ho did not icii>>k tin* ;. *>•!..• of | i Palmer-Ton or the I>i rouc.ii I i.uim :l do ! ; rired I .c railv, ay n nio\ ed fi >m the low ri. | ir would be null rtunate ii the ii-.' 1 were j divern d :ml did mu c in • in through ;! r • should be taken in ngar.l '.< i tin.' fencing < : tin- lino or otherw i-.' pi '<>'■■ <-■ iny ii. Thi y j had done. I.in the Council wanted !■» know whether th< work would be done, and that l vas why the matter had come up again, The railway traffic along that route was a have to i-o taken tor iheii nrotection. There was a large .-'.hot i at Terrace Knd with nearly 500 children, who were eon- j tinrtalfy cn'o.-ing the lift*-, lie *.pmpati-is"d j with on.;::•-- people in Main street, who ha-i com ■ to !< ok upi n ii a.- a riirin. irrespective of the De[u: > tincnt to !•>• able to cms, the railwax line. . ami w. ,:d iio duiili; be intoii v ... ike M . ■ -...: d ii' ■ 'i'-d ib. iA the fencing of tie Fox.un line h ; ,d h hi a ven i::n ortant work. Ii hud ke> i - ■,■■',-. c.lt and there had been no ac. idents since the work had be.-n carried out. lie felt pcr.-.nrdb that some injustice tni_riir b • done to residents i>, Main street, lie mentioned lit* cooperage, a large indicitiv thai might b<> afre« ,f ed. but he thought the Department niiirnt devi>f> .some means i I .e.orcomin ; the difheulfv. Cr. Nathan, the nu. sf : kvr. ,aid i; s'h-:i;-J !•. him that r wa- :i iieCv'sny t< ----- ihe line fenced. It might bo said that ■' d;. i tie accident had happi tn d, bin ;i few year- ag.. a person went to t-iceu on thf !:ru—worn to sleep, i)iit wa* not in that eondiden when found in ii," morning. Hail

the lice been ft n< ed thi- would not have happ-m* ■■■.. Further, children wore in the hab-t of pa-slng along the !i ne ►«, school, and were in < ;:israi<! danger. A- to tli' fence referred to by the p titi n :i - obstructing the view of passing trains, no fence had ' b- n _ r-uggeso-j In the Borough ('oitrici:'. ami :; was eertahilv not suggested ihul a f :■••■ Am old be en-co'd to hhle the f.pproach --I naitib. If th, fence were of wire-;., more, perhaps, than were usual in a wire fence, ii.- line would e< rtainly not iug of the lin. . ,o that it could Ik- triad*; p:.ri .;. the i'oad, despite the regulations <•■ '■■■'" I'eijariitient. As to plantim; aiotig tie' 1 i ne. ('; X.iihan ~-.-j.iu t!:i- was tin lirst 1 i" be '■'.'■ w. 'i ■ iin should ni ; i>e planted.. ■\- leg inieil :■■ spei .[ 1( ; j,\ ■ miles ai: hour, thi-, ?>'r lie; ties would be able to -ay. was iit :i practical cugp stion—at any rate 1 ■■■ speaker «lit I not mink ; - was firactical. • i n!' 1 th< trains r m at a -.• ed of live mileutii 1 oui < t the i jrotigii': ii did not seem pf:-';k-b:o. and to the speaker -eetm-d t o be avoidim? thi i-wiie. "The railway lines in Nathan. ''Why? To ke< p tlio stock off and probabh the ptxjple. A'ui don't \ou think J the young children in the t>w:> should be! protected from their igtiorarice, just as the I f-agiries are protected, and -i-nk are pro-1 tected from wandering on (he line? I think that ;f'rlie matter will receive your careful consideration, we need not be afraid of the result," concluded the speaker. Cr. f'rabb said he ; .-i: very strongly on the matter, and had b<en the first in the Council to move concerning the fen. ing. It did' not matter thai only one accident had happened; "He could say, without exaggeration, that every day hundred-, of mothers i ved ii; fear of their children having tocro--lii" line when they weftVto school. He sympathised with storekeepers along the line. P.- p!e crossed it (iiu.th a prescriptive right. 1 ut he contended that it should 1-e fenced. For every child that might, wander on the line if ir were fenced, ten would be kept off. ile maintained thai a lino going through euch a populous ;<wn unprotected was a menace to the public safety, though he did not blame the present Ministry for thro. &% tin: line was there, unfoticed. before their time. (eitainly if did not do the Department r.::d crecit leaving the line unfenced en long "The considerations of the people." eid Cr. (Yabb. "sliould be far greater than the eon»iderations of a few propertyowners. - . f 1 sympathise with them." Cr. ':'•':. tr -a ; tl the Council was unaninKUH that - •nethi'ir should h<' done to protect the railway line, and it would be idle

for him to enlarge upon the necessity which was so patent. MAIN STREET OBJECTIONS. .Mr R. Edwards, on behalf of Main street residents, thanked tho Minister for coming to Palmerston to hear their grievance, ami Mr Buick also for the impartial and attenlivc wav in which he had treated the iiiatier. The) were not there enlisting their ympathies, hut woe there as business men and property-owners in the town. He wished to combat certam statements that had been made regarding the enormous iniquity of running the railway through' the town without fencing the lino.* He referred ihem to Wellington with eight or ten times she population of Palmerston. and with unfenceu railway, and tii.m hues earning heavy traffic, and the people there were .oatisGed. Here they were not satisfied—or at least the Borough Council was not. A ertain section of the Council was anxious :-> put in trams, and would be putting clown lines on which there would be heavy traffic and trajjfej running regularly. The Mayor: I hope so.

Mr Edwards said the tram lines would certainb. nol be fenced. He referred them to a piece of line fenced at Terrace End, and said there were more children to be found playing inside the fence than on any ■.tfher part of the line. The Mayor said he was very much surpri ed at that statement. Mr Edwards said a gentleman who lived in thai vicinity, and could bear witness to the fact, was incapacitated from attending the deputation, lie asked if it was reasonable t" think that fencing would keep the ehildn n oil' tho line. The children would -imply delight in climbing over the fence. Fencing the line would reduce property values in Main street. The town as a whole had not asked for the work, and he thought ihi» residents of Main street were justified in asking that a level crossing be made over fiie whole length. If ii was safe in Welliunion, it would be Kife in Palmerston North j wiili unfenced lines. .The children v.lm ! were killed wandered from another sip-. : . lio the crossing ana down tlit ' i: ' l> . which | would have occurred had the line Ixcn fi-nced. ami cattle stops would ouly make i; uioro dangerous. A fence would be gnat, inconvenience and unsightly, ami would practieaUy close the ttnet —one of the ojde-t in the town. The fencing of lhe hue alwa\? tenJ.s to mak" tin* line dangermi?. He referred to the line in the Soua l " and the heduo, which, he said, were \. ry mm-h and had liecn left to give.-, high, 'in-.-nt from councillors.) Then, should ouh be open wii - licitino' on the fences, or thai rite train could lie -. n and heard. Mr Edwards linaliy • il:j.rtiil \er\ strongly to *h.' fencing of the Mr E. Warlnirton said it was a (-tram:** rea-oii for fenaine/ the line that children coming h'jiiie from sehooi wee in danger. 'l'h; v must eross the line, and it did nol hiiake any difleronee whether they cros.-cd ' il i ; e cross in g or at another point. The line

had beeti there 35 year-, ttul the first accident between the < o -inu- had occurred 24 years after the tin ewas put there, while rhere had lioeii innumerable accident-, at die cro<sin<j>. People were less likely to •akc notice of a train if there was a fcnie •he danger was increased. Fencing would make the road too nartow—the distance would cnlv Io 30 feet between footpath ;:tn! ieoce oppodte his nsidence, and 20 feel wii..-.- the silting mad-- tluce lines ol rails. Mr W. Milverton contended that the real ibiueyr lay in the speed ol tho train? hroiiirh lie' strtot.- Trains passed at from 25 t , 150 miles an hour, and thai w:;- where ihe dang, r i;.-. Tram ii es in Wellingn n were r,...| feni■ ■:!. and '<'..•■ trams wont up ; - 15 mile-- an hour, so why fence the line": If they did •>•. Mr Milverton conidered they would turn the streets into it

i ties oi [i Kid •;';- Mr 'i'. Grm.j.i said that ho would not liM-mo that ('armor existed, but there waLirv_r. • v.k.-ro any line was placed. II- d - i ci "! r..i iho f-meimc <ji the iir.o. Mr \Y. ''i ok conti ncU d thai to fence the i - "." would seriously injure such busiiio.-vs is i '-.. and as li»« was one thai concerned :•(•■ fart." •.••-. they w, uld then hav 1 ri c lai h r .mpiaininsr. it tli« l line \v< re fenced. Mr nil; contended accident* would bo more

nk< .v to occur. Bet iv ihe Minister replied, the Mayor ~:iz'_'■<. ■} that Mr 1 lorries \rs the line in the morning, and th( Minister agreed '.O do t'tii?.

THE MINISTER'S REPLY. Replying the Minister said that he wa? .or. pleased to meet both side* and to iti-ar the matter so bn idly pul by each. Ii f-onied to him. as Minister for Railways, iiii'i !.-■ >vos a< mue'tt iti t'ne dark as to what the pe. rile &>i Palmei-noii N'o'-fii '. .:n d a- he was b. ; ~-,• !, • came '.. Pal|.».mv!oii "The I)eparim-m." went on Mr llorrie-, "is ipnte pr.'pared to fence the line: the cost would be between £6OO and £7OO. this amount pro\idinji' for ca;:le cloinu; so the fence may have to be tak'-n ;nv:i; later on. I ]iersu!ially must say the argument' on both -ides seems oipial, and I \vi uld : iiu-est thai \ou call a public p-'opie reiillv is. It is very unfair to put me io the invidious pi rsition «»1 (i'.'i' u -.ntieihiPi- unfair to one side. ! ! ' the

people of Ik-iltuerston express the opinion tint the fence should be put Up, Men it would be done." The Minister jocularly suggested that the maftir wait until the Mayoral or Borough Council cleetions, so that tlu'v could iind out whether this was :: burning question. I l.au.bt-r.l If tli" Department erected the fence a new Conn cii might go ir. and demand that the fence be taken away, and ho did not waul to be in thai position. He again suggested that the. people of lkih.H--.ton should thrash :in- matter out. He recognised that it was ;, matter for all the i eople of L'almerMen. The fence would be a |>ost and b vin- one won eattle and the cost. j, s he had suited, betweci £6OO and £7GO. Thev we.-e ipiite satisfied to do what was th,. general tl sire of I'almersron Nortii. ! b'ui ditl no! want to do inything that was mi warned, lie would be ploavd to visit the line. As the Mayor had slated, i; would be impossible to fence the line at i ): . glad if the Mayor and oi f those obji'cting could accompany him. From tin-. I the Minister concluded', it could be seen ,!i- :r ho could not gi\e them a direct answer. He u'tl not know if they desired one, bin !"• could not <k- so until more information had been put before him. SUC \Rti CROSSINGS AND WHISTLE NUISANCE The Mayor brought up the -question of j alarm bell? at the crossings in the Square. | This had ' -n before three different (Jov- j ernment-. The lirst said they would k'H'j) ii steadily in view, the next gave a distinct i promise, and the third mid rtook (k> carry oui the work. Then the question was put j before ;ia present Minister, but they had ii i had a very encouraging reply from him. Thev knew gates ~- crossing-keepers would not be practicable, but thought that something similar to tin system in Auckland could* be adopted. The Minister had had an illustration that nig'ut of the annoyanie of whistling, which earned much disorganisation of busine-s, and e-mmmiica-tit n. The Chief Justice had r .erred to the nuisance, and when the telephone was Swing }[-■■<{. adjacent to the line, there were long interruptions. Tin Council business whs sometimes held up. The Mayor brought Iwfore ihe Minister a suggestion by Mr 11. Cuh>, that tin auiomatit signal and lxll similar to that in u-e in America be adopted, lie referred to various fatal accidents, and several miraculous escapes at the Square crossing, audi said this was a matter that gave the town and Council much concern. in answer to the Minister, the Mayor said there were three crossings that would require attention. Replying. Mr Merries said he did not think there would be nny great difficulty in putting up bells which could be worked from the signal box. As for the general question of level crossings, it was first intended to have time warning notice boards erected at ."every crossing, one close to the line, and the other three or four chains away for the benefit of motorists. Strangers : ;o n district did not know when thev were i coming to a railway line, and so the Department would put up an extra warning. The | local bodies would lx: asked to maintain the second board, as it would be on their land. and he hoped they would meet the Dcpart-m-nt in this. The Department doing that straight away. As for the danger- ; otis level crossings, the Government was con- • idering automatic signals. The trouble [with them, however, was that, sometime* | the signals did nor act. or got out of 'order. He would certainly look into the j information forwarded by Mr Coles, but he jUlievcd the Depnrtmeni already had particulars of the contrivance. He thought they j would be able to come to some arrangei meni about the Square crossings. "If we tiori'l fence the line" said Mr Homes, I jocularly, "'we will be able to spend the ' money on the crossings.'

''WHISTLING DOWN THE SIGNAL." Referring to the whistle m;i:anco, Mr llerrke said no d,oubt it, aiwie from the

practice of "whistling down the signal." He would make enquiries, and if it was rampant here would have it stopped. lie recognised the inconvenience it caused, but,, of course, he could not prevent whittling at. the crossinffs, because that was looked for by pedestrians, and other traffic, and was necessary to safeguard the crot-sings.