The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5, 1924.

Hokitika Guardian, 5 December 1924, Page 2

The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5, 1924.

SPEEDING DP. Some of the newspapers are sounding a cheerful note, because as one of them Puts it. not the least welcome of the aiiiioiim ement.s made by Mr Coates regarding the railways was that in which be hinted that the Department hopes to improve the speed of the trains. In some quarters and particularly in the South Island, the papers are Imping that thi-s speeding up is going to apply or extend to the south, for the present proposals are. of course. ( confined to the North Island. \\ e say of course advisedly, because it is not

hard to guess that the improved service would apply to the much favored Auckland district in the first instance. There is to bo a “limited” express between Auckland and Wellington, cutting down the time occupied in the journey by three hours, compared with the present “express” trip. As a contemporary remarks, one cannot help

wondering why this faster train—which will not only lie taster, but will be more convenient- lor passengers boarding or leaving at the main junctions was not provided years ago. It- is not. so tar as we are aware, that special facilities for running such an express exist to-day which have not hitherto existed. The fact is that the Department could have effected this improvement long since if it had not been sunk in that, torpor from which Mr Coates, by energetic prodding, lias aroused it. For many years pant tin* Department lias been indifferent to proddings, and lias very steadfastly refused, in nearly every ease, to admit that the continuous public demands for improvements of various kinds have been reasonable or could lie granted. Indeed, a very considerable amount of time and thought which could have been usefully applied to the improvement of the system has been devoted by tin* Depot tinciit to the exposition of tin* impossibility of moving with the times. This criticism seems to be all too well founded. It lit-, in exactly with the state of a flairs in this district, where every demand fi r an accelerated service lias been refused. A Cbrislvlmreli paper paints out that there is no more reason why a man should age on the journey from Christchurch to Springfield than cn the journey from Auckland to Wellington. 11l other words, same for the goose should lie sauce for the gander, and the Midland servile should be •speeded up also. May we mention yet once again with all humility and no small amount, ol temerity, that it is high time the train scrviic.s on the Greymoiith-llokitikn. line were speeded Up also. It is a most erratic service as it stands. According to the timetable one train is exported to do tie* trip in an hour and a ball : another in an hour and three quarters, and another in an hour and lilt.v minutes. AVl iv there should be this vaiiation is not. clear. Still more puzzling is the fact that one day tin's week the hour and fifty minutes train was about half an hour late, while the hour and throe quarters train, was nearly an hour. When we recall that the special for the Railyway Commission did the journey in about thirty-live minutes, the comparison indicates the wrong and even indignity which is put upon the community. And what Mr Coates says shows that things can lie altered. “Alter a good deal of consideration and investigation.” Mr Coates now says, “the Department is going to make an effort to give you faster and better services. The trains at present are too slow. T believe that the service can be greatly smartened up.” 'file public here have been of this opinion all along, hence the constant requests for speeding up, but always the cold negative reply. We hope the Minister, now- that lie appears to be taking a larger part in t lie affairs of the railways, lie will give us the quicker service so long demanded, for a study of the time-table will reveal that the time-table ‘‘call be greatly smartened up" also in this quarter.