THE MANAGEMENT OF OUR RAILWAY LINE.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XII, Issue 44, 20 February 1877, Page 2

THE MANAGEMENT OF OUR RAILWAY LINE.

To the Editor of tiie ' Evening Mail.' Sir— Of the convenience of the Nelson and Foxhill Kail way to the districts through which it passes, apart jErom the wide question whether or not it has been purchased at too great a cost, there can be no.do.ubt. But to constitute this public convenience, certainty, punctuality, and due notice of alterations in the; time-table are absolutely essential. Today there have, been some shortcomings in these respects, for which, I believe, no Valid excuse whatever can be offered, and which I will proceed to relate in the hope that what ought not to have occurred to-day at all events mil not occur again. . According to the published time-table at present in operation, the afternoon train leaves Eichraond at 2:1 p.m., arriving in Nelson at 2 30. During this week there have been some extra trains on account of the cricket match, andsome alterations in the regular trains, but this particular train from Richmond at 2-1 p.m. was .not altered or interfered with, and I myself saw , a special written notice to this effect posted lip at the Kichmond station at 2 p.m. to-day, and I was further informed by the Richmond station master that no later notice of alteration of this particular train had been given. At 2 p.m. there arrived at Kichmond station a long train of eighteen or twenty carriages and trucks, with the two engines, conveying "some hundreds of' school children to a picnic at .Wakefield, and, in answer to enquiries, some half-dozen intending passengers for Nelson were informed that they would have to wait till one of the engines and some of the carriages returned from Wakefield, the General Mjinager himself, who accompanied the excursion train, jauntily saying, " Oh, you will only be. ten minutes late' in Nelson." Of course we were perfectly helpless and had to wait, and wait we, did till 2-55 p-m., when the train returned and started for. Nelson, arriving at 3*15, just three-quarters of an hour behind time. I can't suppose for a moment that it will be contended, in justification or extenuation of the irregularity, that . the convenience of a few may be sacrificed without notice to that of a larger number, for the published timetables constitute an engagement with each individual member of the community, as railway compauies in England know well to their cost. But,. a Government department, not being amenable to such considerations, is quite naturally less careful to keep faith with the public. This reminds me of another (if possible) still more serious irregularity in connection Avith the railway, which lam surprised was not complained "of when it occurred some time ago. Since the opening of the railway the mails have' been sent up the country daily by it. The mail reaches Richmond at 5 p.m., when persons expecting letters- (many from considerable distances) come to the -post office for them.. It' has; happened, however, I. think, two or three times some months ago, that for some reason (the. races, I believe, on one occasion) the' ordinary time table was suspended, and on asking at the usual time for letters at the Post Office the reply "The mail will not be up till 8 o'clock to-night." Now, Sir, if Mr Holder, when he had the contract for carrying the mails, had ventured on race ' days, or any other days, to delay delivering the mails jtill 8- o'clock at night lam verj I mnch mistaken if he would not either have lost his contract or have had to . pay a heavy fine. But now the mail carrier is a .Govern-, merit department, the Post Office is another!, Government department, and between them.' the public suffer. .We have come to regard -the Post office wjth such entire, confidence both as to the safety of letters entrusted to it and the certainty of letters being delivered at the appointed times, that it i3 a very rude shock to one's idea of the inviolability of its arrangements, to find that they may be set aside by another department for any such trivial reason as the case I have mentioned. I think, Sir, these are matters of sufficient importance to justify me in asking you to publish this letter, lest by tamely submitting without remonstrance to these impositions on the good nature of the public we should encourage a repetition of them and invite others of a similar nature. — I am &c. One of the Aggrieved in Both Matters. Richmond, Feb. 17, 1877.

A pigeon rnesaage; from the steamer Rotyrua; outside Manukau Heads to the Auckland Star says :— The forecabin passengers are having their ears tickled with the preaching of two Mormons, who, baying been doing an unsuccessful preaching tour through this colony are returning .without any proselyte* The great talking man is named McCormick, has red hair and beard, a long chin, prominent eyes, prominent nose, a.nd is altogether a prominent fellow. : His brother is greyheaded. The Mormons say that the New Zealand people are too straightlaced and demure, and that the popalatiofrie .composed of Methodists, Quakers, and Money-grubbers. The preachers are mortified at their ill success. They intended trying Auckland, but hearing that the place is exceedingly mord virtuously inclined than the South did nothing but shake their fists at it. They are trying hard to lure intri their way of thinking two or three passengers, who are listening attentively; but much enraged with a few who rile them with sarcasms. They are disgusted with New Zealand, and will never more return to its unMormonlike shores.

The correspondent of an Australian paper, writing about the Presidential eleqtiop,'has the following :— "A striking incident connected with these elections has-been the . consternation among the persons who have betted largely on the .result through the medium of the pools. It is estimated that at the present time there is more than half-a-million sterling locked ap in the pool- boxes of John Morrissey and four other poolkeepers of inferior reputation, and no person can tell when the event for which this money has been staked will be . finally decided. Meanwhile, the poolsellers hold the money, and ure not compelled to part with it until the question is decided beyond all doubt. 1 make no doubt that they hope the situation willpast till doomsday, for they enjoy -the interest, in addition to the percentage which they would in any case claim. The minds of the bettors aret also sorely exercised apon the possibility of the pool-keepers refusing to part altogether. It is very doubtful whether they could be made to pay, eveq if;: they remain iu New York. I btnvquite certain that by crossing the river and getting into New Jersey, they could laugh at any threats of law. John Morrissey has only to follow (he example of Mr Tweed, and ask the depositors in his pool what they propose to do, in order to convince them of . their utter helplessness. The withdrawal of such large sums from ordinary business is causing a vast amount of inconvenience. It is said that over a million dollars have been temporarily locked up by the shareholders of Wall-street in speculations upon the result of the election. Possibly out of evil, may come good, and the incocvedienca - and loss caused on the present occasion may render persons leas ready hsneeforth 10 bet upon the result of elections."

A fatal occurrence in Manchester offers a grave warning to volunteers and others who are in possoseionof firearms, and who occasionally discharge a loaded" weapon in the air. The story is recorded in a letter to the Times, in which are narrated . the main points of the evidence touching the suduen death of an errand boy who, while walking in a street in Manchester, suddenly dropped down dead. The aargaon who examined the body found the cause of th^ death to be a bullet which had entered the skull exactly at the top. It had been fired in the air from a ride, and having reached a certain heigh' when. its force was spent, it of course, according to the lava of gravitation, began to descend, and in (hat descend gathered an accumulative force, equal it is said, to the force with which it was originally projected from the rifle. The writer points this out by saying that a ball' discharged into the air "at a convenient angle, and to a mast mum height of 500 yardSj will, when it again descends to the level of the rifle's muzzle, have a downward velocity exactly eqiial to the upwards velocity of a ball of the j same weight shot perpendicularly up with force enough io enable it to reach a height of 500 yarde."

In the Melbourne correspondence of a Victorian journal, the subjoined is given: — I see there has beea a trial of sheep dogs at Hexham (? Hoax 'em), a competition which ought to be encouraged in connection with every Agricultural Show in a sheep 1 country like this. The idea, however, 18 not n-jw, although the custom has been allowed to fall into disuse. lu connection with one of these trials of skill held on the Sydney side many years ago, I have heard a story which ought not to die, and which I here repeat. Upon the first of the two competitors being started after a mob of sheep, be took the precaution of visiting the yard, pullipg out the peg (huog to tbo post with a piece of raw hide), which fastened ihe gate, and which, on being withdrawn, allowed it to swing open. . He then went after the sheep, yarded them, pushed the gate to by pressing against it, and having closed it, took the ftiateniug peg between hia teeth and pushed it into the hole with as much, firmness as the circumstances permitted. When the turn of the other dog came, he did everything the first dog had done; but in addition, and to make sure that the peg should not come out, he used his be Ad as a hammer, and drove the peg home. It is needless to say thai after this exhibition of sagacity he was awarded the prise, '"" ~_;p.: