LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 404, 13 January 1909, Page 9

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.

A NEW ZEALAND RAILWAY TANGLE. Sir,—l have, on behalf of a largo number of my fel]ow-tqwnsmon v to ventilate a serious, grievance against someone. controlling the iNew Zealand railway service in connection with P&lmerston North on New Year's Day, and, to strengthen my position, I mußt mention that the I'oxton sea beach is the only holiday watering place we have within a reasonable distance that'can be reached on a public holiday enabling us to return the same evening. Naturally, as wo hare * railway to Foxton, the public have the right to expect the Railway Department to extend the samp privileges to Palmerston North as they do in overy other place in tho Dominion. That is to put on an excursion train at the usual rates to enable tho public to get to the Foxton beach once in the year, at any rate. But we are denied this privilege, and I am sure it will come as a surprise to the people of our freo and liberal Dominion when I say that for tho past two years not only has' no excursion train beon at our service, but the Railway Department have actually sold tho only trains running to Foxton on New Year's Day to the Palmerston North Friendly Societies, and no one can travel to Foxton on this day except they pay an extra 9d. per adult or 2s. 9d. in.all toAtheso monopolists. The usxial excursion fare all through the, holiday season is 25., yet on a.day when if anything, it ought to be less, 'we must either pay an extra 9d. or stop at home. I.reckon wo want a Roosevelt over hero for a while. ■" . .

On-last New Year's Day thero were three excursion trains put on by the Department, but every one was sold to this private monopoly—lsoo people travelled by these three trains, and I suppose it is only a reasonablo estimato to suppose one-third of them wore for the beach. These all had to pay tha extra 9d., and then the usual Is. for the steamer to the Heads. It does not matter a straw that this extra 9d. admits to the societies' sports. Why. should the public be compelled to pay for what they don't want? It is a monstrous injustice, and an extra tax on a working man, that practically prevents him taking his family for a whiff of sea air on the only day he has. On January 22 the Railway' Department allow the Sunday schools, who hola their annual picnic, a big reduction on the- fares, while all those travelling pay no more, but are glad to buy the tickets from the S.S. people knowing they got a profit on them, why, if there ie only a small country race meeting, the railway put on a special, and ask no questions nor guarantee. Surely, it is time we had somo new Ministers to look into tho anomalies existing. The Foxton people do all they can to help us, and provide the means of our get r ting to tho seaside, and the railway people do all they can to prevent us getting there. There is something very mysterious about the whole _ thing, and it is high time for an investigation. An early special train_could be put on that would run. down easily in an hour, so as to give excursionists a full seven hours on the beach. As'it is now, wo have this extra charge put on, and then only got about four hours. In fact, wo are no sooner comfortably settled at the beach than wo have to pack up again for home. The writer and family sadly wished te go, but there was nothing in it for "such a cost, and Sβ short a time.—l am, etc., I'BO BONO PTJBLICO. January 12. P-S.—l understand that in other countries every facility is given by the railway people for their town workers to get to the ocean beaches as often and as cheaply as possible on health grounds alone. '

RAILWAY MUDDLEMENT. Sir, —1 unfortunately decided to take a trip •to Christchurch for. Christmas! and New Year. Of course, on arrival at Lyitelton I went,through the usualNdiscomforts already mentioned in your, columns. I returned by tho Mararoa on Monday night, the 4th ibet. The,,boat train was timed;to.leav.oioivLyttel-toni-,atn 5.25 p.m. I.reached tho station-at' 6.5/, and found a large crowd trying to gtt to the one.small tjcket.offico-frhich.Tvas open.Aftpna desperato'strugglc, I managed to g.t-v a ticket at-6.20,- aud< then hurried -off t6 t'et. my •bag out* of-the luggago office Having obtained'same, I got a porter-to label it and went to a train , with an indicator stating it was. the Lyltelton .train. I was informed this was a mistake, and that tho train on the opposite platform' was the boat train. After walking nearly to tho end of this second train I saw'a notice up that it was the. boat train, A porter had taken my bag to put it in tho van with the other luggage meanwhile. On arrival at Lyttelton the luggage was literally thrown out of the van after a long delay. . My bag, which is a new and expensive one, arrived in a most dilapidated state, and will }>ot be fit to use again till ■ repaired.; All the damago was done between the time the bag was handed over to the porter at Christchurch anrl its arrival at Lyttelton. The whole .system of handling luggage is simply a disgrace to a country; that is supposed to load the world as our legislators are oo fond of .telling us New Zealand does. I hope my. little outcry may help to-mend matters.—l am, etc., ." , ' . ■ TRAVELLER. Wellington, January 7. /

1 ' OUR DEFENCE SYSTEM." Sir,—Your lioader of to-day, under the heading "Compulsory Military Training".has stirred in me all the latent feelings'which I have harboured for years—feelings that I have novor put to paper before, which, howover, are tho result of thirty years colonial experience. '■! have tho advantage, of three things which I think entitle mo to at last express my opinions publicly, and.with your kind permission I shall do so without fear or favour. lam nob catering, for public applause (the criticism of the gentlemen who live in tho realms of "fancied security" havo always left me cold), so I shall write what the results of my experience and my humble thoughts for years are, but, before I do so ; I shall acquaint you with the throe things mentioned above—theyWe: ' - ■ ■ Firstly, I had a thbrpugh training as cadet, and a short term of service in the largest Continental army, and, I may say, right here and dispose of any further argument as far as, I am concerned, that I have long ago come to the conclusion that the system in vogue amongst the large military Powers is entirely unsuitable and unnecessary in New Zealand. ■ • ■ ■ ■

Secondly, I claim a further advantage by having served Great Britain as a soldier, and although serving in an irregular corps as long as 29 years ago, I have seen during the stress of war many British regiments, and I have seen the.system of colonial defence in another colony. ■ I havo kept my eyes' and ears open for a period extending over half a lifetime, and 1 have been in touch quite unofficially and privately with many of your best officers appointed by your Government.' . Thirdly,! see with the eyes at my time of life of a non-British-born subject, who to-day is just as loyal.a British subject, and quite willing to do, his share again when the hour comes—as assuredly it will come—as any Native-born subject of his Britannic Majesty King Edward VII. These are my humble claims and excuses for submitting this Jotter.

; Let me say right hero that I wish to express my great admiration for tho officers of the Permanent Staff of New Zealand for the honourable way in which they have striven to do their duty in the face of discouragement, indiffcronco, ayo and hostile criticism by men who have axes to grind. These men have dono well—marvellously well—considering tho odds they had to fight. . / Let mo ask the peoplo of this Dominion, one question: "Do they consider thomselvos so insignificant and out of the way that no hostile fleoUwill take any notice of them?" No fear I Tlisnks to the continuous advertising if the late Premier, and our continu. ous anxiety not to be forgotten—our coal resources, end our general prosperity are well noted in the books of foreign Powers, No ostrich tactics for tho Dominion, when tho hour comes! In fact, • any hostile fleet would lesre Newcastle severely alone, and would make for New Zealand—better coal, easier to get at, and if once a foothold iV secured—easier to hold. : I do not mpnn that any Power could bold more than tho necessary port for supplies for any length of time, but our ports are more isolated, and cousc?uontly eaeiqr to tako and afterwards deend, than porta of supply, in Australia."

The British Fleet will do their share, no; doubt, but can that sharp be very large in a; huge general war? Even so, it behoves a, selr-respepting Dominion to do something for! their own defence, something' more than pay; a fixed sum to somebody else to defend her and supplement it with an insincere' attempt to mike the people believe they have » land force to support any asnistance tho British Fleet might require. I uso the; word "insincere" dclibprately, for Ministers and others must know that under ihe present system of laissoz fairo New Zealand can never have'an efficient force. Your leader makes that pretty plain, besides it is well known to every officer and soldier now doing hie duty ; manfully. < I beg to submit the following proposals, which are elastic enough in all conscierice/to every citinm who wishes to do his duty, and if he does feel inclined to shirk his plain duty, to make him , do it; . That is, as far as any individual compulsion would go. boast of onr democratic principles—wellj'.put them into practice' in bur', defence, and;, wo shall have a, real- democratic 'army; a-'la Switzerland, whero "cuffs and collars"'do not oount, only ability as a soldier —never ■'mind what a man is privately.'' ' ■ ,■'."■ ,;.'■ "';,. We have a , Permanent , Staff/of experienced officers and non-coms, now, enough to go on with, to form a neucleus for a system of universal training—not "compulsory service," a turn which, to my mind; is always' , used; by poople who wish to shirk their duty, (can; a son's or a daughter's duty to her parents\be called compulsory service,' and is'not the soil of New Zealand our common.mother?)

Divide the men now resident. in/New Zedland into classes,-after a medical examination, and submit them to a short drill; in , fact,, follow the principles of the Norwegian and Swiss armies.. There arc duties for everyone who has a pair .'of legs and arms in an J army, and especially in a. citizen army. One point should not be'forgotten-7-have 'a punishment regiment in which'you could 'tram the 1 hundreds of yqiine fellows to-day jn 'New -Zealand who arc neither, criminals .nor-good-'citizeiis (and those who come here from other parts: some of our.visitors 1) the cigarette-smoking corner-lourigirig, ; policom3.n-baiting crowd, and I can assure you you will find some fine'military talent amongst them.--.No-use, sending them to gsols.to herd with, confirmed .criminals. Give our magistrates a-chaneotoexer-cise th»t clemency which ;they.; are very often now prevented from exercising, by thestat' utes —they are good judgos of young'follows who are what one may-call-"on the verge." A term of strict military discipline ..works wonders, believe me 1 : j:.... . . :..■ .. ." This letter is already very long; so T-must conclude.' Allow me to add.that quick.franfc port and a small "alway.Srready striking force" are. the-, main essentials ;ofv.suck -an army as I should like to'see. -No militarism; no barracks, but fin awakening of, that sense of duty—universal or, if.yxiu. like it better'so',' compulsory—should be the watchword , of our military svstem. Awake, this, sense, in: our men; not in our children alone, to dio later on by inertion.- Thanking you in anticipation, lam etc., . ':'. ; -B?HECKSHEEr'" Wellinston, , January 19097"; ,'" .".