RAILWAY MATTERS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 723, 24 January 1910, Page 4

RAILWAY MATTERS.

WHOM DOES THE NEW TIJIE-TABLB BENEFIT?

~ Tlio anomalies -and inconvenicnccs of the new. railway time-table' are" toTie dis. cussed by the.Council •of-:th»;'Weaißgt(>a-' ;; -w Chamber. of_ Commerce 'this', afternoon.. •••'• ihere is nothing, political in this matter! : . 1; u -'i s L? p S' t P r °P er protest againsta •'! ■■ V , time-table Jhat has' met with general dia-. approval^throughout :the, North .Island,;:. ' : ,ana which is found to -be interfering very seriously; with business-in "a variety! of channels. One of ;, the -chief ;' .'alterations'' V needed is the return to the late time-table' ; in-respect to the running'of '■ ton-New Plymouth and Wellington-Napier expresses. One arrives ovor .an hour and 'H ' tne other about' two hours later in the evening than was the case' last: year, and , the result ii a s been. that , people who were formerly, able to do all they, wished to do on. the^oyening^of ; their, arrival have now ' .V to wait -until .the:mornirig,,and:so mi6a- ' ' ! ' orni s train back, which means the .loss of :a whole -.day":in: many cases. Ihis-16 really a very serious matter, and one..fa. which tbe council of tliQ ; ■ tion™ 15 ; to igive due considersPf int that deserves'attention &-■'•' the Mam Trunk, express.. This tiain' a t present leaves Auckland.at 9.15, p.m., and -i:' '- arrives, in Wellington at 4.23 pjn.: the : would liko to see, and what, seems to be ■■■■■"" ,qnite,-.a. reasonable' si^gestion"fronr-th«:'; -. standpoint of both,the Auckland and tho Wellington public,. and. commercial terrnty. in-parficnlaT, is that the expr&s should leave Auckland at about 7 Dm' and.arrive_in Wellington a.t abont'2: p.m.:' 'i ': ilus would serve a double Th<* ; ■ the north .could then -be sorted •-V and • delivered\(into. the boxes): the same' afternoon, and through passengers fothr i : '. south would be,given a few- hours ia Wellington- m- which -to', do business, l in* f|* a <l_of arriving at an hour when nil the offices and business premises' are closing for tho day. - .. -.gentleman, who, . ha« " ' travelled over. the Main Trunk line mow •'■ : than onoe siuoo tho . second .express has - Iwen abandoned. draws our attention t« wliat ho calls the disgraceful oveictowd- ■ mg that eirists on tho >through .'express,'', came down from Auckland," said he,'■■■• . the day, after the second- express 'was- •" done away with, , When we left Auckland • there i .TOre several, that could not find seats anywhere on the train, ami as we cams south more passengers wore picked up ; ; At Taumanmui there was quite 'W' a, - litHo - crowd,• including several ladies, and, .' would' you believe me,'- th«' ■ train was so'orowded that the ladies had to sit out on the platform, for tlio simple reason that, they. could not get'seats, and apparently had been,wired ,' - aheadtobe ready'with another.'carriage,--as anyone would' suppose .woidd'be' done ■ . bunder the circumstances.-What l th'ought was • particularly 'anomalous - was .: that >■ -■■'■ there were, many forced', out on .to the • ' platform by tho lnadoqnaoy. of .tho tMsoom- ," ' modation, yet in the fac* was . . the. notice/that' the Railway -Department"';.: took no responsibility .in the case of any' 'v accident to a .person .ridiig: on tb® platform; Under such oiroumstances, it- I wnuld;';-' , ; : . be a nice poini -03 to whether, an action ', !. Ttould'Mt lie.". Onceisince then the saiue • ; gentleman has made' 1 the through trip, ' and found the 'overcrowding just as baa,::, Tho matter needs attention. ... . : . •