The Daily News. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 17. RAILWAY TIME-TABLE MUDDLE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 49, 17 February 1908, Page 2

The Daily News. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 17. RAILWAY TIME-TABLE MUDDLE.

For some weeks past tlx 1 irullic hram-li i,i the Palniei'sU>n-\Vaiigaiuu-Ncw Fl>mouth railway lias liceu willing with the question of arranging ;l nam sm*' tor tin- convenience 01 the thousands ol visitors expected to visit New l'lvmoiilli next week. How woefully the Department, has failed in effort. an examination (if ill'' time-table published i" our advertising columns to-day, will <l>'inniistrate. As tin- Taranaki public an' aware, the Band Contest opens 011 .Monday next, when .-(inn' of the -olri <-'»ii[ji'lition- arc to In; decided. (, 'i dav, a. liii'jjv public (iaidi'ji I'jU'lv. wliicii all tlii' competing baud-men will atlt-iiil. i, to In- held i" I)"' lieercation (li'oiiinls. (11l Wednesday tin 1 Xew Zealand Alh-k-tii- Cnion's annual championship .-ports meeting takes place, commencing aliout eleven o'clock in the morning, ami continuing till about 5 o'clock. At seven o'clock the same evening the iirst grand test selection in connection with the Hand Contest is to open on the same .'round, which will he illuminated !>y electric light. On the following day, Thursday, the .puck-step is sot down for decision, and 011 the Fridiy evening the final test selection ito'take place. Anyone with u grain of business acumen in his composition must realise at once that the particuA lar "draws" of the week will be 011 \\ cdnesday anil Thursday respectively, the former day offering the dual attraction of champion athletic and Highland sports and the Band Contest test selection, and Thursday the popular ijiiiekstep competition. The District lraiiie Manager at Wang.niui, however, in his wisdom thinks otherwise, and we, tiiul that while two trains have hceu put on from Ilawera on tlic Thursday, only tile ordinary timetable to New Plymouth is to be observed on the Wednesday. The ridiculousness of this arrangement is accentuated when it is noted that a special train is to leave Xew Plymouth for Waitara and Hawcra at 10.30 pin--011 Wednesday night. A night train is all right so lar as it goes, but as the authorities are not providing a single special facility to bring country people into town, ironi where, we would pertinently ask, do they expect to get their outward night load? Certainly the people of New Plymouth will not be desirous of taking a midnight trip I" Ilawera for uo purpose. We note that extra mail trains are to he put 011 Saturday ami Monday next from l'almer»ion North ; to Xew Plymouth, hut those train-. ! while serving a certain purpose, ale ahsolulely of no use to the general public uf ,'Southern Taranaki, wllo-e desire is to see all I hey can in one day and return to their lionieat night. Take Wednesday's ar-

rangemenis as a particular ca-e in point, and the wonderful opportunity riic Department has afforded the people of. say. Ilawera. !<> vi-it tin* sports ar.u J»aiid Content in the one day. Their I only opporuniiy. according to the pre- | M-nt arrangement, would be to leave ! by a snail-propelled train leaving Hawera at 7.20 in the morning and reaching New Plymouth at a quarter to eleven. \'o other train conveying passengers reaches Xew Plymouth from Hawera. under the ordinary time-table, until X2O in the afternoon, and that oniv after a miserable journey of 4 hours and 10 minutes. We understand that the Sports Committer'-, latest request to the Traffic Manager was a most reasonaide one, it only being asked that an j at present slow train be accelerated to | passenger train speed to roach Xew Plymouth early in the afternoon, thus affording residents of inland towns nil opportunity of catching a later train than the early morning one, and witnes>ing both tiiW .."ports and Rand Content in the one vi*it. So much for ihe inward train*; the are little better, the mini a special I snail leave Xew Plymouth at 10.30 for I llawcra anil Waitara. Notwithstanding that it is a physical impossibility to : !m\> tin* test elections finished by that hour, and that the fact has been strenuously conveyed to the Trallic Manager, he refuses to budge from his autocratic prerogative. There is no apparent reason, and we venture to predict that the Trallic Manager can supply none, why tho train should be detached before 11 p.m. or 11.30 p.m. The matter is a most serious one, alike for ihoSu shouldering the heavy financial responsibility of the contest and sports, aud for the visiting public, whosu patronage cannot bp expected unless the train service is arranged to suit tiio Band Contest programme. As it appears to ly useless to get further satisfaction from the Trallic Manager, the matter has been referred to Mr. Okey, M.P.. and Ihe Minister for Railways, tho Hon. \V. Hall-Jones, is being urgent- ' Iv communicated with on the, matter. ' So far as we can learn no fault Is found with the officer in charge at New Plymouth. but the unfortunate position is that although he is thoroughly conversant with the local requirements and inland stations in the province, the whole business is managed from Wauganui bv a department that is obviously out of touch with the requirements of tliis end of the line. The Wanganui holiday traffic may, ami no doubt is, thoroughly understood by the manager at Wanganui. as the very excellent arrangements made to attract people to the hig sculling match on Tuesday week abundantly show. We trust that the negotiations now being renewed will re« suit in a train service convenient to the public whose service it is. being arranged. and that tin* present muddle will accentuate the necessity for creating alii independent trallic department in Tara-j naki for the control of provincial lines.