The Daily News FRIDAY, AUGUST 14, 1903. THE RAILWAY TIME-TABLE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXV, Issue 181, 14 August 1903, Page 2

The Daily News FRIDAY, AUGUST 14, 1903. THE RAILWAY TIME-TABLE.

[t is quite evident that the meeting of iheNew Plymouth Chamber of Commerce was not held a bit too soon an<i ;hat unless the committee, which the Chamber wisely appointed to deal with sbis question, take immediate steps to protect the interests of the people at this end of the district, there is very great danger of New Plymouth, and indeed Taranaki, interests beiDg seriously jeopardised. We would suggest that the committee ssoure through the members for the district en immediate assurance from Sir Joseph Ward that no new time-table will be approved without his giving consideration to the views thereon of the people at this end of the Hop, It i 8 no use dilly-dallying with this question ba cause we have already had evidence that the traffic manager does not appear to recognise the necessities of the local traffia. Oa a previom occasion it was only wish the greatest difficulty that he was prevented from putting the whole of the people here to very serious inconvenience by very coasider*bly delaying the arrival of the morning tram. Indeed its late arrival now is very inconvenient to those who havo business to do particularly on Saturday, At Patea every effort is being made to secure a service solely for the benefit of that town and the Wanganui papers are strongly supporting the proposal If, as we said before, a through train fiom Wanganui is to be in addition, nc one will object, but if it is to take the place of the present Hawera-Sew Plymouth service there -are very grave objections and it must be noticed that there is a very suspicious and significant silence on this point. The sooner the paople here let it be understood what they want and are determined to have the better, as thelonsei the matter is delayed the less dune* there ia of any proposal receiving proper consideration. Id j B qilite c i ea l that Mr Whitcombe does not inteuc to give any information till his nev timetable is sanctioned, and then tb< difficulty of getting alterations mad< are almost unsurmountable. We d< |not want a repetition of our last ex penence. At the other end cf the dis tnct no stone is being left unturned t< accomplish their onds. The • las issue of the Patea paper says-- " A deputation consisting of His Wor ship the Mayor, Messrs Gibson, seer McKenna, and Rossiter, waited on M Whitcombe, District Traffic Manager yesterday, at Patea, with reference ti an improved train service. The incon veniences of the present sarvice we* clearly laid before Mr Whitcombe, whi is strongly of opinion that tbe arrange ments in regard to passenger traffic an not what they ought to be. He state< that the time given in the newspaper, which had devoted space to a diseussioi [of the proposed alterations in the time table, was too short altogether, and thi Railway Department could not run i passenger train as was proposed, bu the tram would be a mixed one. B had suggested a time-table to thi General Traffic Manager, and until thi was approved he could not publish it As soon as it is sanctioned, however he will forward copies of it to the dif ferent newspapers and Chambers o Commerce. Without baing tied to an< definite time as to running the train Mr Wbitcombe'e proposal is somewba on the following lines : -That a trai< should leave Wanganui about 6am calUt all station, and run right throuoi to *,ew Plymou:h, without detentioi at Hawera. A train will k ava Nev Plymouth about 1 p.m., reaching Wan ganui at 9. This would be a decide improvement on the present service and would put a stop to the waste o time now incurred at Hawera, am consequent inconvenience to throu»l passengers. Ic would enable everyon. to travel up and down the line £ person would be able to travel, for in stance, as far as Eltboin, and return t< Patea in one day, instead of the iournw necessitating three days as at present People living in other towns alon* thi line of railway would have simik facilities for travelling So ami fro M Whltcom!*, wbo is evHanil, t -„ eive, menu to have a greater graep o

the rfqu : rementß of trefflo between Watganui and New Plymouth and New Plymouth and Wanganui than any of his predecessors, and we trust that he will be successful in having the train service aliered in the way suggested. The deputation were much [gratified with the reception accorded them by Mr Whitcombe, and with his willingness to do all that was possible 'to have an improved service provided . for this coast."