1923

Staying on track

The Free State Government has been compelled temporarily to order the Irish railways to prepare a scheme for grouping for the simple and obvious reason that the Government has no funds to meet the deficit on railway working. And that even if a policy of nationalisation were agreed upon as the best thing for the nation, the Government is not in a financial position to acquire them, and that if rates and fares are to be reduced so that the country may prosper, working expenses must also undergo a drastic and immediate reduction.

The broad, general plan is that this should be effected by grouping the lines so that they should cooperate in working. This will inevitably mean reduced staffs and eliminated competition – but apparently needs must.

So far, the only scheme of grouping that has emerged is one that has aroused hostility in the Dublin Press. The outline of the scheme is to draw a line from Dublin to Galway and group the Irish railways into two sections, one north and one south of the line, was revealed at the annual meetings of the northern and southern companies this week.

Dublin fears the Great Northern, because Dublin is not able to stand in competition with the railway that has its headquarters in Belfast. That is the grim fact, and it has to be faced.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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