A CARRIER'S COMPLAINT.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 634, 11 October 1909, Page 9

A CARRIER'S COMPLAINT.

I CONDITIONS AT THE MANAWATU BAH- . WAY.STATION. ' t Sir,—As a carrier, may I call your attention to the bungled-up state of affairs at'tlio-Mana-.watu Eailiyay Station. I have waited in hopes, of seeing a,little method infused into the engaging of express wagons. :■ The cabmen are in order 'when" a train' arrives there, because each'one knows his posir tion; and allotment, and tjio contrast, between them, and the' carriers need not exist.. A stranger when .arriving -at the Thorndon Station by the Auckland mail train is apt to stand aghast at:the noise and the spectacle presented. ,1 know for a fact that a photographic picture of this spectacle will shortly be taken; that will hot ho so bad if the gramophone is not in .evidence. • The payment of tha extra 10s. to the Government (or late Mauawatu Company) by carriers for .the privilege of carrying luggage; etc., soems to be appreciated by them in a peculiar way (see elsewhere or get the peculiar opinions of expressmen about it). The payingin of this tax soems to have affected the Thorndon officials with ; a species of St. Vitus' Dance: what ' with tho hustling of carriers, constant shifting of expresses, threats, suspensions, and 1 the holding up for licenses, the sword ,of Damocles is not in it.

The changes wrought. thero lately make the by-laws ultra vires or impossible of keeping by camera. In conscquenco a, precedent has been established for which wo must go back to tho sixteenth century. I refer to the Bow Street Rumors of Old Newgate, who would allow their prey comparative freedom, but yet gave them onlyonough rope to bo heldin leash to bo hauled up when required.to furnish, and bnlanco.tho busihoss of tho criminal calendar. Parallol cases could be cited entitled "raids upoji expressmen." Or, worso still, a licenso ticket that a uian has paid for is taken from him for a period. The authorities would say: "requested'from him." carrier would say: "robbed from him"—from, a man who, perhaps, has a family dependent upon him, thus depriving him of occupation, part of the work ho hns been doing for years. Ho thus loses patrons who expect him to meet tho trains for luggage/ etc., and this when 'a small fine imposed would bo sufficient. Tho legal aspect of this suspension is questionable. If not legal, compensation could be demanded. '. ■■' ■ As touched upon elsewhero,. in return for the money, paid in by carriers, instead of ade'quately considering or benefiting them, the Government give a big concession,- partly to

tourists, partly, to Uμ New Zealand Express Co., this huge concession being ontirely at, the oxpense of carriers and 'cabmen. As reported by a local paper, the public will be indopendont of the local carriers. Lot me inform-tho local paper that the local cabmen aro involved' in -it equally with carriers. And this is the juncture when tho two should combine'- and' obtain the best expert advico. upon this socalled luggage contract. Allow me to say also to the public that these same cabmen and carriers pay to the corporation (i.e., yourselvos) upwards of .£SOO annually for licenses. From this we reap many benonts: We have the advantage of the law. ■ '• Tho protection of the corporation. '.' ' A scale.of fares. ' . . \ Our various stands, etc., etc. ■ ■ . ' ■ In fact, we aro glad to pay our licensee for , valne received, and I for one do not "squeak" at these tlT.ngs aforementioned. Nor do I complain because nothing has arisen'from the ashes or from tho demolition of the horseshelter sheds. It is but a matter of thought to me that this Wellington is about the only city in , the world where there is not ovon.a. shelter for cabmen; and 'tis but another thought that tho weight of vote from us at elections plumps vsry heavily. And now, Mr.Editor, may I toll you what I really kick at? You aro tho recipient of other people's woes; why, then, iiot' of raino? I somehow, cannot get away from the fact .that we as carriers are being insulted at tho Manawatu Station. For my reason and explanation please come to station mentioned by the 4.30 arrival, arrive, say, from Ngaio. You 6ce, as a carrier, I hardly like to give the show away. However, say you have got your luggage from an alert .porter; that all the other passengers aro gone, yet you presumably meditate while yet.upon the platform as to your future lodgings, or your carrier) but really : you are making mental notes of the cluster of expressmen below in front of you. While occupied thus, may I askof you not to be too critical upon our various jstyles of uniform, gesticulation,agility, flourish- , ing of whips, modes ,of address, l or—as the' situation makes it—cadging; We mil now imagine that you are tho only luggage passenger loft. Had you been a timid man you would ore'this have'taken a cab, 'For many a man, much less a woman, jwill not face the ordeal. Still you do not advance - towards these, say, thirty carriers, all of whom intuitively know that you vrant one of them and they are'concentrating their forces while you are mentally seated on a rail between retreat and the hiring of a certain" express: .You involuntarily step forward, and aro within the zone, or, say, the reach, of tho lot, , and while they are snatching your portmanteau your mental notes are probably endeavouring .to make out how many expressmen go'to the square ya T d while reaching for luggage. My, contention is that the position is a painful one and but barely mentioned, and that tho person responsible for it is lacking in at least one essential.' and also fails. to. see-to put it mildly-that it hurtsany. man, possessing such a thing as spirit.—l nnvotc.,- ; .., : .. \A CONSTANT SUBSCRIBER.: ;