THE RAILWAY TIME-TABLE

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1080, 20 March 1911, Page 8

THE RAILWAY TIME-TABLE

AGGRIEVED SETTLERS. Deputations about the running of the various train -ervices, the Ministertor Railways (the Hon. •!. A. Millar) might almost'say, are like the poor, they are always with us. On Saturday,, nearly a dozen Mnngaron setllers interviewed the -Minister, introduced by Mr. T. 51. Wilfonl, moniker for Hutt. Jl.ungaroa is.a settlement on the ranges between Upper Hull: annd Kaitoke. It is chielfy a dairying centre. The complaint was in' regard to the non-stoppage of trains there that would bo useful to the community. The privilege which the Government allowed parrnt.i of sending their children free oyer the railways to school was a barren gift, said 51 r. Wil,ford. as far as 51uugaroa was concerned, for the reason that there were no trains for the children to travel by._ The first train left Jlungaroa for the Upper Hutt at 10.10 a.m., and it. was ten minutes to eleven before the- children could get lo school. Similarly the infants who were dismissed at 2.30 p.m., and the seniors at three o'clock, could not get a train home until 5.30 o'clock. Then, in regard to the carriage of milk, a train stopped at Mungaroa at. 1i.40 o'clock each evening, if there were passengers to alight or to get aboard. It might be that one passenger would be picked up for the Upper llutt and the fare collected would be 4d. Yet notwithstanding the importance of- the milk transit to the district and the revenue it would return this train could not be used to bring the milk cans into th*> city or to the Hutt. The settlers therefore asked to have a van sent up to Jlungaroa eacli day by any of t.he trains, so that if would be loaded w-ith the inilk cans and attached to the train passing there every night for the Hutt. The district was worse served now than years ago. Tho s£inister replied that then they had the use of a service on which there had been a loss of ,57000. slr. Wilford protested that this line could not have lost the Government that sum. The loss' must have been widely distributed. 51 r. Millar said they were not goim; to get that special service again. Mr. Wilford repeated the request for the dropping of the milk van. It would save the settlers a drive cf thirteen miles over mountainous roads to catch the train at Wa'laeeville. He knew slr. Ronayno (General Manager) was against the request, but this was a time \vhen ■ the sfinister should put his foot down. Jlr. T. Burrell supplemented Mr. AA'ilford's statements with further instances of hardships they suffered. slr. Edwards said that fifteen years ago they wera able to send milk into Wellington twice a day by trains. Sir Joseph Ward had promised that when the ilanawatu railway purchase was completed he would consider this matter. In replying, Mr. Millar said the recommendations were somewhat different to those before, and a way might be opened up to overcome the trouble. In referring to the past, it had to bo remembered that there was nothing like the traffic then there was now. Milk-cans could not now be put in the guards' vans because of the quantity of passengers' luggage. It would be impossible also to run a service to suit every person, and any man who tried to do that might as well shut up shop. He did not know, by the way, what the reference to Sir Joseph Ward's alleged promise was. If trains stopped at,all small stations, the long-distance passengers would have cause to grumble. Local services should bo . used. Mr. Wilford said that in this case there was no local service suitable unless the settlers drove over the mountains to connect at Waltaccville. The Minister replied that he could not see it was such a hardship, to linve to do ; this. Some settlers had to drive ten mile.-. , . ! Ultimately the Minister said he could ' see no reason why the request about the van could not be granted, and he promised to visit the locality to-day or tomorrow. Mow. Mitchell and Allan, who were introduced to the Arinister by Mr. T. 51. Wilford.' asked that tlie 7.2 a.mi train, from Te Aro, and the 1.10 p.m. train • might stop at sleUing. They also asked , that one train on Sunday might stop • there, and the- latest one returning to • Well; lie-ton. 1 The stinister said that Melling had only : been a station for twelve months. How- ■ ever, he would so into the matter.