RAILWAY BOUNDARIES

Manawatu Standard, Volume LV, Issue 303, 20 November 1935, Page 14

RAILWAY BOUNDARIES

MAINTENANCE OF FENCESGOVERNMENT "RESPONSIBILITY. Per Press Association. GORE, Nor. 19. Tlie Prime Minister (Mr Forbes) announced to-day in his capacity as Minister of Railways that, following on representations made to him from time to time regarding the matter of the maintenance and renewal of boundary fences between railway reserves and adjoining farm lands, and further representations on -the same subject made to the Government Railways Board orr its recent tour of the South Island, he had conferred with the board on the question as it affected adjoining lands in all portions of the railway territory throughout New Zealand. The matter was accordingly reviewed m the light of past practice and present policy, and a decision had been ar r rived at by the Railways Board which the Prime Minister thought should be entirely satisfactory to all concerned. The decision arrived at by the Government Railways Board, stated the Prime Minister, involved the reinstatement of the previous practice whereby the department undertook the maintenance of boundary fences adjoining railway land as a measure of safety against accident due to straying stock, and as soon as the necessary materials and men could be assembled in the different districts throughout the country the department would create special fencing gangs to overhaul and repair in a thoroughly systematic and satisfactory way all boundary fences which required attention. It was, stated the Prime Minister, the intention of the department to attend to the more urgent cases first, such ns, for instance, those on the Catlms River branch in Otago, where as a rasuit of serious bush fires many settlers were burnt out and several miles of fencing adjoining the railway line were destroyed. . The Government Railways Board s decision to revert to the previous practice of maintaining boundary fences, which was abandoned purely on the grounds of economy during the depression, was influenced by the improvement that had taken place in the finances of the department.