THE OAMARU-KUROW TRAIN.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXVI, Issue 10069, 10 February 1909, Page 4

THE OAMARU-KUROW TRAIN.

In view of the fact that the Railway Department has again decided to discontinue the running" of the extra train to Kurow, a representative of the Mail called unon a leading business man this morning, -who has greatlv interested himself in the matter, and asked him to furnish us with arguments such as justify the continuance of the running. This gentleman pointed out that Oaniaru is, essentially a nightport, the boats for the north, by which the bulk of our produce is shipped, doing all their loading during the night. When only the ordinary train is running it is necessary to order trucks in time to forward them by the Tuesday night's train to get produce into town in time for Thursday's boat, whereas by means of the extra train, trucks ordered before, could be taken up, loaded, and brought down the next day. This would be a- great boon to the former, and decidedly advantageous to the Department, as it would aid materially in obviating the shortage of trucks difficulty. The special trains run by the Department did not get over the trouble, for no one knew when they- were Tunning, and they were put on merely to relieve existing congestion. Our informant said that in his opinion the extra train had not been given a proper trial. It should have been run on the Thursday, and the time of its departure from Kurow should have been delayed to give longer time for loading at that terminus, and all along the line. "Against this it had been urged that the trains could cross only at stations where there was a stationmaster ; this was a reasonable enough precaution on main lines, but quite unnecessary on a branch on which only two trains ran in a whole day. The remarks referring to produce applied even more forcibly to stock, and to stop a country train at this time of the year appeared to argue a lack of knowledge of the local circumstances.