The Daily News. THURSDAY, OCTOBER 3, 1901. THE NEW RAILWAY SERVICE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXIII, Issue 223, 3 October 1901, Page 2

The Daily News. THURSDAY, OCTOBER 3, 1901. THE NEW RAILWAY SERVICE.

We have b fore us a letter from the Railway Traffic M' \agerin wli'ch, h reply to our inquiries, he says : "I beg to inform yon that the following alterations to the train service in the Taranaki district * i'l come into operation on Ist November:—

The mail train will leave New Plymouth daily at f.25 a.m., stopping at Henwoodroad, Tariki-ror 1, and Mormanby only to pick up passengers for south ot Hawera, and at Sentry Hill,' Inglewood, Stratford, Kltban and Hawera, reaching Wanganui at 1.6 p.m. and Wellington at 8.15 p.m, i

The moir'ng u-»!n.ior Hawera will leave New rljjrioum at 7;w a.ffi; rid retjh Hawera 15 minntes earlier than at present. The evening train tor Hawera will leave New Pljinouth at 4.25 p.m., arriving Hawera at 8.0 p.m. morn ' n Z 'rain will leave Hawera at 7.30 a.m. and p-rive New Plymouth at 11.15 a.m.

The afternoon train (except St tar lays) will leave Hawera at 2.10 p.m. and rriqe New Plymouth 10 minutes e?*iier than at presg#. On Satqr4ays this train will leave Hawera at 3.26 p.m. and leach New Plymouth at 7.0 p,mThe mail trail will leave Welling-on doiiy at present time, but will leave Wanganoi at 2.15 p.m. and reach New Plymouth at 8.15 p.m.»

On the whole, the new time-table will give pretty general satisfaction to the public. Tho time between New Plymouth and Wellington has not been shortened as much as might be expected ; but until the department adopts'la gyitenj on this side, which it is carrying out on the RapierWellington line—viz., running a pickup train before the mail—that is hardly I to be expected. The improvements made nill doubtless be accepted by the |public as an instalment of favours to come. There is, however, one very serious defect which deserves the serious and immediate attention of the people of New Plymouth and those whose business brings them into town with any frequency, namely, the time the morning train from Hawera reaches IJew Plymouth. It will be seen that this train is put back a quarter of an hour, viz., fcopi J}- a.m, to 11.15 a.m. Inis is really a very important train both to the country settlers and the townspeople of New„ Plymouth ; it is in fact the people's train, and in every way the convenience of the people who use it should be considered. It must be remembered that the people do not exist for the benefit of the railways, but the railways for the service of the people. When it is considered that New Plymouth is the headquarters of the Government departments, of the Courts, and a large number of local bodies, many of the people doing business with them, or the members thereof, will be put to very serious inconvenience. In a large number of cases the fixed hour of meeting will have to be altered, or else business must be started with a bare,quorum. The only alternative is for people having business to come in overnight, a course which imposes a heavy and most unfair tr? on thope engaged in ,tlp .conduct of public business in

tov. n. There seems to bj no. sufficient reason For this change, and I we were hoping that if any change was j made, it would be in the direction of j enabling their train to reach New Plymouth earlier than at present. In fact there is no good reason why the train should not leave Uawera ar. the same time as now, and arrive at 10.45, such a change <'S this beiDg a retil b' m, With reg ird to the deliy of *he evening train till 4.25 p.m., we fear this also w'll prove unsatisfactory to many of our dairy farmers who are lanxious to get home as soon impossible. We certainly think some -action should be taken, and that his Worship | the Mayor should take the mattr up, either by public meeting or otherwise. On Saturday, which is market day, the chauge will prove particularly incoi)., venient, as the Banks all close at 12 o'clock, and people will have v«ry little time for transscting financial business between the arrival of the train and th« Banks' closing time.