THE KAIPARA AND WAITEMATA ECHO With Which Is Incorporated "The Kaipara Advertiser & Waitemata Chronicle." Helensville, Friday, May 8, 1914 THE KAIWAKA TREAT

Kaipara and Waitemata Echo, 8 May 1914, Page 4

THE KAIPARA AND WAITEMATA ECHO With Which Is Incorporated "The Kaipara Advertiser & Waitemata Chronicle." Helensville, Friday, May 8, 1914 THE KAIWAKA TREAT

AS before stated by this paper and numeroiis contemporaries, this end of the North Auckland railway line is a bleeding shame and disgrace to the whole Dominion, not only because of the obsolete rolling stock (including locomotives) brought into the service instead of the scrapheap, but its remarkable timetable, and the way it is kept, is simply preposterous.

Not only is the AucklandKaipara running throughout the laughing stock of the whole surroundings, but it militates considerably against the best interests of the district, and gives tourists and other visitors the horrors for months after experiencing one solitary trip never to be tried again under present existing circumstances, And are the people up at this end going to submit to such a wretched scandal year after year? It is to be hoped not.

Times out of number petitions and complaints have been made to the Government, and every Minister of the Crown who comes along quietly takes in the situation and attentively listens to the various deputations on the railway grievances, and in the end promise faithfully " to bring the matter before the Minister for Railways."

Now, we are just about getting full-up of such utter neglect." It was the same with the Ward Liberal Government as it is with the Massey Reform Government, there is no difference, and the wonder is that between them the people take the interest they do in politics, and in going to the poll on election day.

But apart from all the other complaints /there is nothing more absurd to our mind, coming up to that of the train service between Kaiwaka and Helensville, which regulates the time-table so that the train from Kaiwaka shall reach Helensville some twenty minutes after the Auckland express leaving here at 3 p.m. Now, is there anything more ludicrous than this ? Making passengers bound for Auckland stay in Helensville overnight and until seven o'clock next morning, for the' sake of a little tack, brains, and judicious management? One would think it were a great strain on the part of the railway management to start the Kaiwaka train (present terminus) half-an-hour earlier so as to accommodate the travelling public, or that we lived in the days when grannie used to teach us how to suck eggs ; instead of which we live in progressive New Zealand with a Reform Government playing the flute and pom-poming on the trombone. But, whatever the cause, let us have a little common sense in regard to this crying shame.

The good people of Kaiwaka met the Premier by deputation the other day, and asked that the time-table be re-adjusted so as to ensure a connection between the two trains referred to, but it be such a prodigeous and momentous question that Mr Massey only deigned to say "he would bring the matter before the Minister for Railways."— Great Scott!