RAILWAY MANAGEMENT.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1969, 28 January 1914, Page 4

RAILWAY MANAGEMENT.

Sir.—Withydur kind permission I would liko to direct tho railway authorises' attenti(lnito;(t' ; )nntter wh'iclf I consider a'greaMnjimtied' tfi tho travelling public during the holidays. The facts are briefly. these- ■ A train leaves Ma-s----terton at 6.30 a.m. for tlwManawqtu district, connecting'with ono from D'anlitvirko at Woodvillo at about ft), and continues to Palmer.ston. Now, on tbo 22nd, being a traveller, and wanting to spend a day at .J'oxton, I found on arrival thero that tho 12 train \va3 cancelled, and that a train had loft Talmcrston for Foxton just five minutes before the Wairarapa one arrived. There were over 40 passengers on the Wairarapa train who wanted to go on to Foxton, besides a lacehorso that was entered for tho first day's event, tmcl had to stop in l'almerstoii till 8.5 p.m., over 9 hours. .There were no trains 'through from AVoodvillo before this, ono, and thero woro passengers from Damtcvirke and intermediate stations. Then, again, tliore was a picnic party which left Foxton by tho turly train for the Manawatu Gorge, expecting to be ablo to return tho same- day, as the train was delayed from about G p.m. till S.S p.m., but tho ono from'tho-gorge did not arrivo till 8.15 p.m., so the party, to their discomfort, had to rush about to got lodging in l'almerston for the night. When I asked what the delay was caused by, they did not know at the l'almerston Station. I may also say that there were two trains that left i'almorston before 11 o'clock, tiamelv, 9.20 and 10.18. Why was not the train that loft I'aliTierston at II o'clock, or 11.5, delayed so as to let the Mastertett and Dannevirko peoplo connect with same. This would only havo meant a loss of about ten minutes at the outside, instead of keeping tho travelling public hung up at I'almerstoii for nine hoars. I may say that the officials iti Palnierston wore sorry for tho inconvenience caused to the public.—l am, etc, A TRAVELLER. January 24, 1914. Sir,—Permit mo through tho columns of your paper to bring under th* notice of tho Railway Department the decided loss in revenue which they aro making through not issuing weekly workers' tickets from suburbs such as Plimmerton, which is rapidly .becoming a very favourite resort for holiday-makers for a good many months in the year. Seeing that workers' tickets are issued to the Upper Hutt at 4s. per week {which is three miles further out than'Pljmmer'ton, and both are gazetted as being within tho suburban area) 1 fail to see • why the concession should not be obtainable from the latter place also. I, together with several others, uiade opplication so.me weeks ago foii tickets, and was told on \hb first occasion that they did not issue them', and later that tho matter would have to go beforo a meeting. Still, nothing has been done, and wo who are working in tho city have been compelled to forgo the pleasure of joining out families who aro spending some weeks at tho seaside owing to being tinable to obtain tho concession tickets.

I feel sure, the matter only requires to be brought under tho notioo of our new General Manager for the residents of Plimmerton to receive full justice, and a very largo number of residents (apart from those residing thero permanently tho wholo year) would thus bo enabled to travel up and down daily, instead of only going for tho weok end, as at present. Trusting the matter will receive the attention of tho Department as early as nossiblo, —I am, etc., UP-TO-DATE METHODS.