Excursion Train Conduct

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 2, 18 January 1937, Page 4

Excursion Train Conduct

"PUNCH WITH CARE."

(To the Editor.) Sir,— My sister was unfortunate enough to be a passenger on the excursion train that was held up by the cloudburst on Saturday night. The experience was not a pleasant one. I have no complaint against the staff Of the Railway Department so far as their efrorts to deal with th© emergenoy are coneerned. In the circumstances they did very WeU and gave no tlougFt to tbe discomfoi't and difficulties they had to overcome, My gi'ievance is that, in'addition to all the discomforts of the long wait and subsequent journey on the relief train, my sister had to pUt up with the anuoj ance of the behaviour of halfdrunkm youths and men who lurched througu the carriages and sang and shouted and generally made themselves objectionable. I have heard that this type of conduct is- not unUsuai on these excursion trains. In this instance, however, respectable' passengers had to put up with a great deal more. Is it not one of the regulations of the department that intoxicating liquor shall not be consumed on the trains ? in any case decent, well-conducted pasengers should not have to put up with the behaviour such as occurred on Saturdav night. Perhaps Mr Seniple might be able to lend the Minister of ltaihvays some af his "gentlemen oi" the road" to instruct railway travellex's in eourtesy and good mauners.— Yours. ete. .

Hastings, January 18, 1937. When this letter was referred tp the Hastings station-master,. Mr J. Ca-s-sidy, for comment, the '"Herald-Tri-bune" was informed that, as far as the Railway Department knew. the passengers on the excursion train were well-behaved generally, and there was only one case in which the guard Was called to supptess a passengier who was causing some annoyance, and after that there was no further trouble. "I was at the station v/hen the Wanganui excursion afrived," continued Mr Cassidy? "and I saw no jndications of drunkenness. They were av happy crowd and seemed to be enjoyiiig themselves, but I could see nothing objectionable about the behaviour." Mr Oassidy meptioned that, if a passenger was being subjected to annoyance, it Was only necessary to make a complaint to the •guard, and the matter would be investigated.— Ed. H.B. H.-T,