RAILWAY TIME AND ACCOMMODATION.

Southland Times, Issue 1574, 7 May 1872, Page 3

RAILWAY TIME AND ACCOMMODATION.

Sib, — As that discontented lot, " the public," are owners of the railways here, they naturally feel interested in the working thereof. Strangers from Dunedin and elsewhere sometimes twit us Southlanders when we boast of our fine railway, with — " Ob, but you're not very particular to time, though," with certain accompanying expressions of countenance clearly indicative of the mental opinion — " But what else could be expected of such a lot of daidling old fogies !" Well, sir, no doubt these foreign swells think themselves " mighty smart," but they are unaware of the unforeseen difficulties that may present themselves to the management of a railway in a new country ; nevertheless I'm afraid their sneers are not entirely groundless. The public, so far as I can pick up their sentiments, believe that, "in the circumstances of the case," it might perhaps be unreasonable to expect hairbreadth exactness in timing the trains to be attained at the intermediate stations along the line, but they are puzzled to kuow why the very strictest punctuality shuuld not be observed at the city stations, and thereby have delays, at the intermediates reduced to a minimum. " Delays are dangerous " — to the health and the purse too it may be — when they occur in connection with airy platforms and raw sou-westers; and I believe the public consider it essential to their health and happiness that either comparative punctuality or break weathers of some kind be established at these intermediates. If neither is possible, I would suggest a petition to the Government prayiug that it be made illegal to damage any indigenous tussac still existing in the neighborhood of any railway platform, as it might afford shelter to waiting passengers, and that in wet weather the trains be delayed a minute or so extra at each platform to allow passengers time to get out from their hiding-places. If this idea were carried out, I could fancy an imaginative guard quoting from the Roderick - Dhu - Fitz James-eombtit-scene in The Lady of the Lake : " ' Have then thy wish !' — he whistled shrill. . . On right, on left, above, below, sprung up at once the lurking foe. . . And every tuft of broom gives life, to plaided warrior armed for strife." But " what's the use of talking ?" The public may wish and growl individually to their heart's content, but unless they, as Farmers' Clubs or otherwise, give a vigorous growl in concert, in shape of well-signed petitions, the probability is that " why is this thus ?" will remain for another winter the bitter platform soliloquy of the unfortunates who hare to shelter their fronts by holding their backs to the weather (for every station cannot even boast of tussac). " Foreigners " who may chance to read this are not to infer from my reference to the weather that our climate is an ungenial one. We admit to an occasional but necessary purgative from the west ; that is all. Somebody has said that no country knows better than New Zealand how to make up a fine day, and I say that no part of New Zealand knows better how to do that than Southland. — Tours, &c, Nobth Road. May 3,1872. »