WAIRARAPA TRAINS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 874, 21 July 1910, Page 4

WAIRARAPA TRAINS.

' « 7~ ■' STATEMENT BY MINISTER. Mr. Hogg, member for Masterton, recently asked the Minister for Railways whether he would revert to the old railway-time-table in the Wairarapa, and restore the. morning trains between Masfcerton and Woodville. The passenger and other traffic, between the Wairarapa and Palmerston, said Mr. Hog,?, wasnnsignificant compared with the traffic between the various townships op the Wairarapa line, and the existing timetable subjected the community between Masterton and Woodville to great loss and incouvenienoe. * The Hon. J. A. Millar replied yesterday as follows'"The time-table in operation between the South Wairarapa and .Woodville was inaugurated as the result of strong representations made over a period. of years by ' the residents in the district^as to the disabilities they suffer in.being unable to get to Palmerston and back in a day, and it was strongly represented th.it the advancement of the South Wairarapa district was being held back, and the Railway. Department was losing business by reason of the fact that settlers. could not make , the journey to and from Palmerston in a day. It. is impracticable to revert to the old time-table times for the MastertonWoodville train under present conditions! The only way in which ouch a suggestion could 1m carried into effect would be by cancelling the existing, morning train between Cross. Creek and Masterton, and this, in my-opinion, would be inimical to the best interests of the district now served by the tririn. I regret that in. these circumstances I am unable to comply with the request." ■ Mr. Hogg, in commenting on this reply, said that the Railway Department, by altering the time of certain trains,, had done tlie Wairarapa, fropi Greytown to /Woodville, a great injustice. He had been making representations for years on behalf of the numerous residents of the Forty 'Mile Bush, whose wishes had not been complied' with in this matter. . Ho asked the Minister to look into ' the whole subject, and he thought that he would find that the traffic he was endeavouring to assist at the expense of the community between Mastenon and Woodville was absolutely insignificant.