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Otago Daily Times, Issue 17689, 29 July 1919, Page 4

The notification by tho Railway Department of the imposition of fresh restrictions in the passenger service is couched *? terms which make it important that the public, in its own interests, should give it careful perusal. The General Manager prefaces an unpleasant intimation with an appeal. Reliance is, however, wisely not placed upon the prospect of this touching the conscience of the people and .evoking a display of altruism and self-denial that would be helpful to the railway authorities. The department could give no better guarantee of its sincerity in desiring to discourage travelling than the intimation of the new regulations which are to come into operation on August 1. A glance at the requirements which the would-be traveller must satisfy should' supply sufficient evidence on that point. It is provided that every person desiring to travel by rail beyond the suburban area must satisfy a responsible railway officer that the journey is imperative, being undertaken for essential business purposesj the bona fides of which the railway officer shall determine. Having come through this ordeal, which he is advised to face on the day beforo Iris contemplated use of the railways, the prospective traveller may secure a single ticket for somewhere. Even then lie is by no means out of the wood. The number of carriages to be run on any train is to be strictly limited, and tickets will in all cases be issued subject to thero being room on the train. "No undertaking," tho public has been told, "can be given to carry any passenger by any particular train on any particular date; passengers who are unable to travel on any one day will, so far as possible, be taken on subsequent dates, but no <Aiarantee can be given as to the interval that may necessarily elapse beforo the accommodation can be provided." The consolation offering for this glorious uncertainty is the promise of a refund of fares if the contemplated journey has to be abandoned owing to lack of railway accommodation. There is abundance in these provisions for the public to mark and inwardly digest—as it may. Discouragement of travelling could scarcely go further, lacking its actual prohibition It is a drastic step that the Railway Department is now taking, but the circumstances do not permit of its condemnation as uncalled for. Recognising it to be dictated by the desire that worse may not befall ns, the public must needs accept the restrictions a s cheerfully as possible

It is the purpose of the Railways Department to get down to bed-rock in the carnage of passengers. Within the last few weeks, despite their halting progress the trains have been over-patronised! People have been travelling to and fro without a thought of the precious coal consumed in their haulage, or of the essential products condemned to wait unsifted because of their own occupation of a seat in a railway carriage. The General Manager emphasises the fact that nearly 50 per cent, of the passengers who have been carried since the coal-savintr timetable was inaugurated have been "women a.nd children, and we cannot doubt that he is perfectly justified in holding that this class of travel is in the great majoritv of cases not essential. This explains the steps that are being taken to eliminate passengers whose room during the coal famine is more desirable to Qi e railway officials than their company. It may seem hard upon the women and children, but the logic of the situation is remorseless. While the stressful period lasts our trams are to receive only the passenger who is intent upon some solemn and unimpeachable business mission. ' Li such circumstances the passenger complement f.hould afford an interesting subject of study. The wonted leavening of light and levity will be attenuated, no doubt, to the vanishing point. The travellers will be desperate men—the convincing and the chosen. But "business" is a term of remarkable elasticity in meaning. One man' 3 business is another's pleasure, and so forth. A holiday is always a more or loss sorious business. And a race meeting, as everybody knows, is a great business—a remark which is prompted hy

the fact that a highly important fixture of this kind is due at Christchurch early next month. Had tho Railway Department this fact in mind ? We shall doubtless bo assured that it had. In any caee, the railway oliicer responsible for testing the bona tides of the business which compels persons to travel is likely to discover some curious coincidences in the way of " business" waves. But thofc tempted to hurl anathemas at the Railway Department over the difficulties of attending so vital a function as a race meeting had best commit to memory Mr M'Villy's pregnant words :—"Stop home and consider! A saving of tho haulage of one railway passongor car will enable over 16 tons of essential goods to be convoyed by rail." Can we reasonably be expected to balance favourably the carriage of a few incorrigible "sportsmen" again.-.c tho haulage of as many tons of essential goods '{ The interests of tens of thousands of workers dependent on tho maintenance of industry answer otherwise. Moreover, there are such things as motor cars.

-Tiie Afghan delegates entrusted with the commission of negotiating for peace with •Great Britain have had little occasion to cherish hopes of securing a particularly favourable settlement. The reply of the Viceroy of India to the Amir's reiterated pleas respecting the severity of the terms ot armistice gave an earlier indication of Jjritish determination to deal firmly with Afghanistan in the matter of the recent unprovoked attack upon the Indian frontier territory. The reception of tho Afghan delegates at Rawal Pindi, the seat of the negotiations, confirms the impression of the firmness of the British attitude. In addressing the delegates, Sir Hamilton Grant spoke strongly. They have been reminded that the British Government had ample justification for continuing the war until the Amir surrendered unconditionally, for British patience is not inexhaustible, and the Afghans had flagrantly disobeyed the terms of armistice. It was only a week ago that we learnt of the necessity for the repulse by the British of further tribal attacks on the frontier, i n connection with which, if there was not Afghan participation, there must assuredly have been Afghan prompt-m£'-L, , British representative has explicitly declared that Afghan -counterclaims will not be considered and has sounded the warning that if' the war should have to be renewed the terms upon which it will be concluded will be very "liferent from those at present possible. .1 he Amir _of Afghanistan, by his misguided action, has placed his country hopelessly in tho wrong in its relations with Great Britain, and it must accept the consequences. Tho friendly relations between the two countries were wantonly disturbed by the Afghan ruler. Great Britain, In the words of the Secretary of btate for India, desires nothing in Afghanistan, but it is her intention to exact stern and just punishment for the raids and invasions perpetrated by unscrupulous forces on the peoples under her protecr On A . ihe Afghan delegates will find little to their liking the terms of the peace of justice upon which the British Government will - assuredly insist, but they can hard y do other than find them preferable to tho alternative. Not wasted upon them, probably, will be the impression conveyed by the sight of th e extent of ttie British military preparations.