FEUDING

Manawatu Standard, Volume L, Issue 231, 26 August 1930, Page 8

FEUDING

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. (special to “Standard.”) FEILDING, Aug. 2G. Mr A. J. Humphries presided over the monthly meeting of tho committee of tire Feilding Chamber of Commerce last night, there being also present Messrs C. E. Taylor (Mayor), E. Fair, F. Allen. T. S. Goldsmith, A. E. McCorkindale, T. G. Lawson, G. J. Fitzpatrick and S. McDowall. Apologies for absence were received from Messrs J. S. Tingey and A. Kingston. Prior to commencing the business of the meeting, the chairman announced that Messrs F. Allen and A. Kingston had been elected to the committee, the speaker extending a welcome to Mr Allen, who was present. It was decided to thank the Post and Telegraph Department for its meeting of the request made by the chamber for an alteration in the mail service to Feilding from Wellington. STATE CONTROL OF RAILWAYS. Discussing a request from the Auckland Chamber that the New Zealand railways be withdrawn from State control and placed under a board of directors as a trading concern, Mr Fair, in moving that the motion be supported, staged that aL though the running of the main and other paying lines was exemplary, more attention could be paid to the system under which new lines were built. The chairman seconded the motion pro forma, but was doubtful whether the separating of the railways from State control would prove the solution of the situation that had arisen. Ihe object of the department at present was not simply to run the railways at a profit but to provide a service, the principle behind it being that railways providing a service would become self-supporting. There was perhaps a need for a check in the matter ot expenditure on unprofitable lines and extensions, but to say that the railways of the future should be self-sup-porting was rather drastic. _ The railways had done a great deal in the development of New Zealand, and it would probably not be in the country s best interests to say that they should be self-supporting. Mr McDowall recalled «. that some years ago the B. and T. Department was faced with a similar occurrence. The employees had asked for increased wages, but were told that as the department was not paying, the increase could not bo granted, but last year the department returned a profit of £500,U00. It was a question whether the service' to the community the staff was giving entitled it to consideration wliether the department concerned was paying or not. Mr Taylor pointed out that the railways had played an important part in what they were primarily intended for —the development of the country —and to him it seemed that so long as the ’Government was trying to keep the railways running and pay their way and everything was being economically managed, there was nothing to be gained in handing the railways over to a board of directors.. Rather it would seem that the activities of the chomber should lie in the direction of preventing the laying - down of new roads unless they would benefit the railways. There was also the expense that was being incurred in the erection of palatial stations at the cities, such as at Auckland and Wellington. There was no call tor this expenditure which was mainly for show and on tho subject matter of the discussion Mr Taylor thought it inadvisable to take action. On being put the meeting the motion was lost. ORCHESTRAL SOCIETY. The following officers were elected at a meeting of the Feilding Orchestral Society : —Patron, Mr J. G. Eliott; president, Mr C. Hausmann; vice-presidents, Messrs T. Collins and C. S. Jeffs; secretary and treasurer, Mr M. Hausmann; non. librarian, Mr Wood; committee, Messrs G. T. Lawson. A. Farmer, C. V. Newton-Broad and G. J. Fitzpatrick. Mrs J. G. Eliot - ;, was appointed official pianist. CHELTENHAM SCHOOL. The Cheltenham School celebrated 'Arbor Day last week when work was done in the school garden by the children while the committee planted additional shelter trees. Other useful work was carried out and the school grounds are reported to bo in first class order. BASKETBALL. A commencement was made with the basketball matches between A and B teams of the Apiti School and the Cheltenham School, the local teams winning both matches of the return series. After the games were over afternoon tea was partaken of by the girls and the adults who had assembled in fair numbers to witness tho games as well as to celebrate Arbor Day. Patricia Pratt, the Apiti captain, thanked the Cheltenham girls for the good time the team had had at Cheltenham, and Thelma Ward replied on behalf of the home team. NOTES. As the result of having his hand badly cut with glass on Sunday, the Toungest son of Mr and Mrs L. J. Carmine, of West Street, was taken to the Palmerston North Hospital for treatment. He is now progressing satisfactorily. PERSONAL. Mrs Sidney Beard, of Bluff Road, Kimbolton, is tho guest of Mr and Mrs Geo. Watt, Wellington Street, Feilding. Miss A. Phillips, daughter of Dr. G. Phillips, of Feilding, will return home this week from the South Island.