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New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 4923, 3 January 1877, Page 2

The English news which appears in our telegraphic columns this morning is eminently reassuring. Practically the whole of the Great Powers represented at the convention have agreed to protect the Christian provinces from the rapacity of the Turk. The accomplishment of this purpose will satisfy Christian Europe, and it is to be hoped will dissipate the dark war clouds which have hung about so menacingly for the past few months.

The railway arrangements during the recent holidays have given but scant satisfaction to the travelling public. On Monday, for instance, there were great complaints amongst the excursionists who had paid first-class fares on being "called upon to travel in second-class carriages, and there were indications of trouble in one or two instances at the Upper Hutt, when persons who had paid full second-class fares were directed to leave second : class carriages for cattle trucks. Very likely there is not sufficient rolling-stock on the line to allow of many first-class carriages being spared from the ordinary traffic for the purpose of making up excursion trains, and perhaps it is not worthwhile increasing the stock to allow of this being done ; but if no first-class carriages are to be run, notice should be given when the trains are announced that first-class passengers will be called upon to travel in second-class carriages, and second-class passengers in cattle trucks; or let only second and thirdclass tickets be issued. The present practice has very much the appearance of a studied deception. With a flourish of trumpets, excursion trains and holiday concessions are announced, which in reality prove little or no concession. But the necessity for excursion trains does not appear. The ordinary trains, the expenses of which must have been incurred in any case, were on Monday running almost passengerless pretty well the whole of the day ; whilst the special trains, for which extra expense haij been incurred, were running at unprofitable rates. If return tickets at single fares had been issued for the ordinary trains,

the arrangement would have been far more satisfactory. AH travellers, whether by the morning, the mid-day, or evening trains, would have been placed on the same footing, disputes as to first and second-class travelling would have been avoided, and the pecuniary results to the department would have been larger. There is another point upon which remark is necessary. If the department decide to grant a concession to travellers on holidays —whether it be for special or for ordinary trains —upon what principle is the benefit of the arrangement limited to those who travel in a particular direction ?, If return tickets from Wellingten to the Upper Hutt are issued at single fares, why should travellers from the Hutt to Wellingtpn, or between intermediate stations, not bo treated equally liberally. It seems to us that the arrangements during tho recent holidays have been very one-sided. City people have had the benefit of cheap fares — granting for the moment that the fares have been appreciably reduced—while travellers from the country have been called upon to pay full rates. •

Mil. Morton Qdin has caused the following letter to be published:—“ Mr. Morton Quiu, Hon. Sec. Fete Committee. Sir,—You applied to me for the loan of some flags on the 23rd inst., and I gave instructions to place them at j our disposal. 1 had previously received a circular soliciting my patronage and support at the annual fete of the Ancient Order of Foresters, to be held on the Basin Reserve on the 26th inst., and now write to explain that finding von had only advertised the programme of sports in the evening papers, and overlooked the New Zealand Times, I did not subscribe or attend the sports, as I have been in the habit of doing in former years.—l am, &c., George Hunter. P.S.—I return the ticket that you sent me.”—As the subject matter of the letter seems to concern this paper a few remarks may be permitted. The letter was not ’ influenced by this journal, but the motive is a plain and common-sense one. Mr. Hunter, as one of the public, protests against a species of favoritism which a few persons in the community occasionally exercise. We have no cause to complain of want of general patronage by advertisers, and it is a simple fact that in this respect the past year has been for us one of most gratifying prosperity. But every now and then some petty person or another succeeds in inducing a respectable body like the Foresters to act in a grossly partial manner, as they did in the instance under notice. Mr. Hunter is on the directorate of the New Zealand Times Company, it is true, but in his letter to Mr. Quin he,-we apprehend, exercised the simple right of any man to protest against a piece of petty spite, carried out by one or two people whom it is not worth while to notice. He, we observe, wrote distinctly in this fashion, for his objection to the action of, Mr. Morton Quin is not that that gentleman, or those for whom he acted, advertise in any particular paper, but that he or they exercised partiality in the matter. That it was a question of the most contemptible partiality we are well aware, but the authors are too far beneath notice to require that we should give it further attention. And the same may be said of any attack on Mr. Hunter of which this matter has formed the ground.