I.F.S. GOVERNMENT RECOMMENDS EXTENSION OF ROAD TRANSPORT
Page 68
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
THEDonegal Transport Committee, which was set up by the Irish Free State Government to inquire into the question of providing adequate transport facilities in the county, has issued its report. It recommends the expenditure of £75,000 on improving a number of roads for the development of commercial transport in districts where there are no rail services, or where the existing rail services are likely to, be discontinued. The geographical position of Done.' gal is such that, except for a small opening to the extreme south, the whole county is completely isolated from the rest of the Free State. The tariff policies of both the Free State and Northern Ireland had the effect of compelling Donegal. traders to obtain most of their goods from the Free State, and, as distributing centres for these goods were generally considerable distances from Donegal, freight charges were higher than when goods were obtained from Belfast and Deny. Dealing with railway services in Donegal, the report regards the financial position of the Great Northern Railway Co. (Ireland) as anything but satisfactory. The working of the County Donegal Railways Joint Committee, which is owned by the G.N.R. and L.M.S., entailed an annual loss to the parent companies. The Railways Joint -Committee, the report continues, had, so far as'Ireland was concerned, opened up a new page
by its extensive use of oil and petroldriven vehicles.
Concerning the Londonderry and Lough Swilly Railway Co„ which is subsidized by the Free State Government, the report states that, failing larger subsidies, which are not recommended, there are no apparent prospects of the system keeping open for traffic much longer. The major portion of the passenger traffic has been transferred from rail to road. The Donegal Transport Committee considers that, if the roads be improved, particularly in the Burtonport area, the trading public would not suffer by the transfer from rail to road. Several proposals were made to the committee advocating the construction of new lines in different parts of the county, and these, with one exception, were rejected on the ground that road transport would he more suitable for the public requirements.