THE NEW TIME-TABLE AND THE PIAKO COUNTY COUNCIL.

Te Aroha News, Volume II, Issue 79, 6 December 1884, Page 2

THE NEW TIME-TABLE AND THE PIAKO COUNTY COUNCIL.

A.T the , meeting of the Piako County Council on Wednesday 26th ult the chairman', :Mr W. L. C Williams, brought under the notice of the council the matter of the new time-table. He said a good many of the settlers in the Thames valley wers exceedingly bitter on the matter of the new time-table. These people lived a good few miles from v the railway station, and as the train did not get in now until about six o'clock in tho evening, it: was l very late - before; they reached the'r respective homes, and travelling after dark over bad roads was* attended with very considerable danger as they were all aware. ' But it was not always that these after dark journey* were made, as people did not care to undertake them, and so they were obliged to stny in Cambridge until the followingmorning Ho knew of a case on tho picvions day where a party ha 1 come to meet the train, not knowing of the alteration in the time-table, and instead of yetting hack* nome in time For ten, th^y did not reach home , until about 10.30. Though the townspeople, who supported the new time- tab!", contended in its favour that by it they were enable I to go to Auckland, do their business, and return home in two days, they seemed to forget that the country settlers, who were mainly to be considered under the new time-table, could not make a trip to Auckland and return under three days. Therefore, whatever little .benefit the change" afforded was solely enjoyed by the townspeople, and the country settlers were altogether ignored in the matter. The only groun I — certainly not a very liberal one — that the townspeople of Cambridge had been able to urge in favour of the late arrival of the train was that tout ists and travellers on their way to tha interior would be obliged to remain in Cambridge over night' instead of going on to Oxford as they otherwise might, and for the few shillings that, were thus sptub the storekeepers and the livery stiible-keepers back the hotel keepers up. While at Ohaupo Mr Hudson stated he received a. petition largely signed. The names of Messrs Wells ami Soutter and Messrs Lewte and Simpson appeared on the petition, and he (Mr .Hudson) consideietl that there names were fairly representative of the Cambridge district. There was not, he would venture to say, a man in Cambridge who would benefit by the cluinge more than the hotclkeepers and livery stable-keepers. On the. other hand,* there was not a settler.. outside Cam-; bridge who was not really injured by the new time-table. Abnost, every settler had a child attending the school, who under the late time table was almost - always able to bring home the; mail and papers of an evening ; now, unless a special messenger were sent in, these people could not gel their mails or their papers till the following day. Cr Mflclenn said the interests of those who were inconvenienced by the. change were much larger and greater than those convert ienced, by it. Had the public feeling been more universally tested, he ' ventured to state that no change would ever have been made. !>1 ' ' ' ' ■ Cr Williams said the Cambridge petition was got up in a hole' and corn'eV • manner. > ' No one who was not likely try, sign it had' been asked to. ' ", The'iJnbKc were not awaVe'uWtil told "by Mr lsu % dWi ; , ibhat such a rt petitkm shad? been; 'going- '; \ The pttier r ,memhers laying spoken 'ate' 1 .some length ngiiiinifc "the cimn^e^it; w!a'#\' , «a&reeHi toi.cbmin'uiilcatk vl 'itH?th*e^RlSil\yatjC jt"