HUTT TRAINS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 679, 2 December 1909, Page 8

HUTT TRAINS.

NO IMPROVEMENTS FOE i' TEEMji

BY .HON.: J. A'. MILLAIt. V The bain service through the Hutt :Valloy was s the subject of a long Ministerial reply ia the House of Representatives yesterday. -, ;.:.;Mr. Wilford had asked thoiMinjster fof Rail, he.would fix>a ; date upon wjiich/ ; : Representations; might be. made to him'.in refer-.V.}.' ! ence to . tho new railway time-tablo to' bo-in> i augurated between' Wellington and Wairarapa,- ■ -,; via'Kaitoke. It was pointed but that "Petone", : requires certain trains to stop .at Petone; Hutt'"i requires less delay in certain trains and; al- ' teration of- the ' times. of starting- of- certain'.' 1 ! trains; Moiling, Settlement, requires*, certain':/ stop, which' now pass without stop-' > ,; ■pingj'.Silverstreata -requires alteration in: tho:' '■' running' time ' from. Lower Hutt;: Upper"-'Huti ; requires.alteration, in the startng .times;* ■or/.,--trains''to,work in -with' .Silverstrcami require*' :'■■■', 'ments; and Mungaroa'requires certain-trainr' I-:: :to stop to pick' up ; milk for delivery in Wol< ,/> lirigtou..'.,- -" :': '•":■-.'.■ ,-• '< : \ ■ ~;';• : The Hon. J. A. Millar replied'that tho new ; ,'■''-' time-table had: already been printed, and must • operate without 'alteration until ' "' ; 'January/' 31. It '",had"'' repeatedly 7 been '''■'. urged that the Wairarapa mail trains should • stop at Potono ■ to ; pick- up passengers./As,: however, .under the , new■ time-table a'<mixed '•■.-■■ .tram-"had; been substituted for tho Wairarapa '"':■■■ "• mail train, ,'a ,stop , would in future, be ni'ade ■', V by.'.this 'train at Petone,- which station . was-. ' served': by/a.large number of- trains; daily.- A With" regard to '. Hutt ( requirements,' certain" improvements had been made which would los- / sen tho'tin!©; taken on the journey. . So'far •':; as'he was aware, there had been no previbua '•■•:.' representations from" Silverstreain. Tho trains ' served a; largo district; the interests of-va'ri--. ous; sections: of tho community appeared .to ...-.'■ conflict with each other; and it was utterly ■ i'. impracticable' to' r proyido a time-table that : S wbuld,suit the requirements of- -individuals or small sections of tho community.. What the: f Department had-to 'do..was" to provide a ser- : ir vice'that would meet in a reasonable.way tho '■ ■■■'-.- requirements.,of;'tho, district as■ a whole, and '- this; the present services undoubtedly : did.. '.;'> 'There., were", about''fourteen trains each .way.'::. between Wellington;and the Upper Hutt daily,, ,7 and./.while, the. Department was at all. times -.£'■:' : desirous of timing the trains to run at hours ...V that would ; best' suit the majority,- of,.the;,'.' people by whom they were' used, there was, in'■'■ -■".'■ some; cases, a limit to the extent to which tho'-.'/' alterations could bo made, owing to the fact ' that'tho long-distance, trains had to' be con- "V. sidered and to bo provided for- in so far;- as," f; crossing-places;, were . concerned. : So . far; as '■" Mungaroa' .was concerned, ■ there.■ wero three '. trains each way per day which 1 stopped at that 7 station,.: and these wore ■ amply sufficient for' -';" all ; tho requirements. .-' The' milk traffic /had /. been found i; iiot to increase, nor was it suffi..'•■'■'■•-' cient. to justify a continuation of tho special ,V services that wero provided. Ho regretted that ' ho, could: not authorisei the cohvoyanco of milk f com". >Mungaroa. by,'- tho".''. through'■'. passenger. "V train from ;Napier to. Wellington, nor the' rum ..' ' ning-,of,any additional trains' for-that ,'pur» '. pofo./ '■~-.■■ : ' v ../.;- ■'.'.- ■ In: reply-to a second; qucstioh,o'f ; 'Mr,: Wik. : : ford, the Minister for Railways states that th*., ' electrification of the Wcllington-Hult railwa] lino would involve a very large expenditure, : " which the; Government is not prepared to in. ''-'.'■ cur. .Experience elsewhere indicates.that mo. ; tors propelled by steam and other means ban bo cheaply; and efficiently run, and the Min. ister'is at .present rnaking full /investigation into the. matter,-with a .view to seeing whai.' ;' /- can be donoi m the direction of improving sub* . urban services' by the use of :motors. '•