RACE TRAINS

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 250, 10 July 1918, Page 5

RACE TRAINS

COUNTRY CLUBS' PROTEST. The lack of railway facilities for the .race-going public was mentioned at the ■annual meeting of tho Country Racing Clubs' Association last night. Tho executivo reported that tlio Railray Department had continued the pol- . icy of refusing during the war to cater in any way for the public attending race meetings, and judging'by the railway returns for the Inst financial year tho revenue of tho Dominion had suffered greatly in consequence. "The shortage in the staff," added tho report, "may be to a certain extont n fair excuso for not running special trains, but it is no excuse for not making tho ordinary train service fit in with the requirements of the public, w,ho in large numbers desire to attend sports gatherings. The cutting out of a station near a racecourse on a Taco day because perforce more people may turn up than can be carried, is an insufficient excuse. If the rolling stock is limited, why not advertise tho fact that only a certain number of people extra to the ordinary can bo carTied, and that tickets to tho stations near tho racecourse will bo issued the day previous to tho day of racing botweon, say, 12 and 4 o'clock? When the tickets to tho limit had been sold no more would be issued. T.bis would prevent congestion on the race morning. However, officials bound hand and feet with red tapo cannot get out of a groove and act as an ordinary prudent business man would act in an emergency. Fancy how a business mail would laugh in lis sleevo at any person who would believe that ho could only open his store during a limited number of hours because there were moro customers than he could attend to promptly!" The president of the conference (Mr. A. Bruce) said that the executive had made representations to the Minister of Railways and the General Manager regarding raco trains, but had got 110 satisfaction. Tho Minister and his officers would not consent to make full uso of the ordinary trains in the interests of tho racing clubs.