King Country Chronicle Saturday, June 4, 1910 TOPICS OF THE DAY.

King Country Chronicle, Volume IV, Issue 265, 4 June 1910, Page 2

King Country Chronicle Saturday, June 4, 1910 TOPICS OF THE DAY.

If a plebecite of, not only renders of the "Chronicle," but all who reside anywhere adjacent to the Main Trunk line, were taken to-day, the topic of ever living and ever important interest is the railway service and station accommodation. All along the line, from Te Awamutu to Taumarunui there is need for great and quick improvement in the stations. Otorohanga is to get something done at an early date % but Te Kuiti still stands very much as it did —with the most abominably inconvenient and dangerous station premises that ,ever disgraced a district. It is a standing wonder that no loss of life takes place. It is through no care on the part of the department that nothing happens. One would think that, when the 2 a.m. expresses come in some such obvious precautions as the provision of two or three lighted lamps to show the way out, and a clear division between the cattle, coal and goods waggons to enable passengers to cross the line, would be provided. For masterly inactivity we have never seen the like. Perhaps, when the Minister of Railways passes through, the Borough Council will so fill him with statistical matter that he will move. Give us this day a decent railway station 1 * * * * * *

Then there is the railway service. It is something to know that Mr Millar believes in the motor-carriage, for we fancy that in that method of locomotion is the future welfare of these parts bound up. The cry from one end of the King Country to the other ia for a morning passenger train from Frankton southwards, returning in the evening. Why should not a motorcarriage be put on to do this trip? It is economical in working, gets up speed quickly, carries say thirty to fifty passengers, and acts as a feeder to the other branch lines and trains. There is no doubt whatever, as the Mayor of Te Kuiti said the other day, the goods service to and from Te Kuiti has reached enormous proportions, comparable to Palmerston North, Auckland and Wellington in bulk. It suffers in being mixed with passenger traffic. Let us have a good smart service of passenger trains or cars, giving a daily out and home connection within reasonable hours. ******

An important conference of local bodies fronting on the Waipa and Waikato rivers was held the other day and the possibilities in the of getting our streams and rivers cleansed and made useable grows more promising every day. This conference was

interested in the cutting of the Waikato - Manukau and the ManukauTamaki canals, but it has a bearing upon transit, facilities in the King Country, because, year by year our local authorities are becoming alive to the necessity of keeping the streams open and useable. There are motor launches regularly running from the Waikato to the Waipa, up as far as Pirongia, and the attitude of residents thereabouts is to get the Waipa fur : ther deepened and cleared higher up still. Indeed, the day may come when it will be possible to take boat again from just below Te Kuiti right to the Auckland harbour, when the canals are cut. We fail to look upon our streams and rivers as they should be seen —as highways for goods and passenger traffic, feeding, not harrassing the railways.

According to the Hon. D. Buddo, the systematising of New Zealand's public holidays is a difficult task and great variation is being shown in opinions on the subject. The proposal to group as many as possible of the holidays at week-ends has, however, been received with a great deal of favour. "No doubt," says Mr Buddo, "the public will be pleased to have finality in the arrangement of these days, so that all services, public and private, will have a uniform place. At the same time, the subject is hedged around with considerable difficulties, owing to the fact that the Banking Act specifically lays down that certain holidays, which are not generally recognised by the industrial community, are to be observed by the banks. I am at the present time trying to arrive at something definite in arranging a list which would be generally applicable, and as far as possible convenient."