THOSE RACE TRAINS.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1350, 30 January 1912, Page 9

THOSE RACE TRAINS.

J Sir,—l write to strongly protest against the practice of the Railway Department in unnecessarily delaying the train leaving Lambton at' 5.12 p.m. on its journey to Upper Hutt. To-day tho passengers by that train bound for stations beyond Lower Hutt actually had to stop at the later place for twenty minutes for a raco train to pass. This, by the way, is not the way to discourage the gambling evil. Some'of the passengers, including one or two corpulent ones, essayed to walk home rather than wait an indefinite length of time, for the intelligent porters showed astonishing ignorance as to how long the weary travellers would have to wait before the train moved on. Protestations loud, long, arid deep were uttered against tho mismanagement of the railways (more correctly called "snailwavs"), and the inconvenience caused , the sober, respectable peoplo whose joyous privilege it is to he conveyed daily along the Hutt line,, and whose convenience certainly deserves at least as much if not moro Consideration at tho hands of the Railway , Department than that of ti\c racing fraternity. • Now, sir, I should' like to. know why tho regular passengers on tile Hutt line are periodically inconvenienced for tho sake of tho mob who go to Treutham races, and most of whom would be better employed if they stayed at home and paid their debts. Why cannot tho race train leave. Trentham 'earlier or later, than at present, or cross the train from Lambton at Haywards, instead of at Lower ITutt? If the trains crossed at Haywards there would probably bo no delay. Surely some moro satisfactory arrangement than the existing one can be made so as to obviate the dislocation of the regular passenger service. ' I trust that the Department will attend to this matter before the next nice meeting, thereby saving Hutt passengers the troublo of presenting a monster petition for the redress of this serious grievance.— I am, etc., FAIR PLAY. January 23, 1312.