THE NEW TRAIN SERVICE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXIII, Issue 226, 8 October 1901, Page 2

THE NEW TRAIN SERVICE.

PROTECTS AGAINST TIME-TABLE. STATION MASTER INTERVIEWED. SPECIAL MEETING OF BOROUGH COUNCIL. COUNTY COUNCIL UP IN ARMS. DEPUTATION TO WAIT ON TRAFFIC MANAGER. Public opinion is rapidly becoming aroused in Naw Plymouth to the great inconvenience which will be occasioned J |by the proposed railway time-table by which the morning train will not arrive in New Plymouth till a quarter past 11 o'clock. Yesterday his Worship the Mayor (Mr E. Dockrill) and the chairman of the Chamber of Oommeroe (Mr W. L. Newman) interviewed Mr Day, Btatioumast«-r at New Plymouth, and entered a formal protest against the change, besides orging the numerous objections thereto. They asked Mr Day to communicate the same to the Traffic Manager in Wanganui, and this he promised to do. It appears that the new time-table is based on the principle that the mail trains are to be primarily considered, all other traffic giving way to them, and that Ne-v Plymouth must be prepared to put up with the local incon-, veoience for the benefit of a daily mail train.

Later in the day Mr. Day informed the Mayor that Mr Piper, the traffic manager, will arrive in New Plymouth to-day. The Mayor has asked Mr Day to arrrange with him to meet a deputation, which will probably consist of the [Mayor, the chairman of the County Council, the chairman oi the Chamber [of Connueror, and some of the representative men of the town, These gentl men will wait upon Mr Piper on the subject. The Borough Council, yesterday, held an urgent meeting to consider the matt'r, the < utcome of which whs that the M-'yor f-rwarded ti.e following letter 11 the Ti affiu Manager: - " I have the honour, by direction of the New Plymouth Borough Council to bring under your notice the follow- [ ing resolution passed by the Council: 'That this Council strongly protests against the proposed alterations in the railway timetable, whereby the morning train usually arriving at 11 o'clock will not arrive till a quarter past eleven, and that letters be sent the Minister fur Railways and the Traffic Manager at Wanganui pointing out: (Ist) That the greatest inconvenience would be caused to the Supreme Court, irad Magistrate's Court, which now usually sit at 11 o'clock, and also the various local bodies, tbe majority of whom commence their meetings at the same hour; (2nd) That on Saturdays (tbe market day at New Plymouth) owing to all tbe banks closing at 12 o'clock, it would be next to impossible for country settlers arriving by the train to complete their business by that time, and great hardships would be occasioned tberaby.' With regard to the above resolution, I might add that 1 even now the train does not arrive in New Plymouth early enough, and if you could arrange that the train should arrive, say at half past ten, you would be conferring an inestimable boon on the public of tho greater portion of the Taranaki province." i At the County Council meeting on Monday, the chairman drew attention! to the pjMp r sed alteration in the rail-1 way time-table, and pointed out the injurious effect it would have on business and on country members of public [ bodies, as well as country settlers, especially on Saturdays. He moved that the attention of the Department be called to the inconvenience the new arrangement will cause the settlers, and that a request be preferred that the time be altered to a quarter to 11, instead of a quarter past. Several members spoke in strong terms against the proposed alteration, and the motion was carried unanimously.