The Daily News MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21. MORE TRAINS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 229, 21 September 1908, Page 2

The Daily News MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21. MORE TRAINS.

it is a notorious fact Unit Tarantiki is inadequately served in the mutter 0 f local railway facilities, ami we have urged on many invasions tliat a mine up-to-date service would l.e speedily named were the provincial railways under the management of a trallic manager resident at .New Plymouth instead of, as at present, being controlled from. Wanganui. However, as the president of the Now Plymouth Tradesmen's As-' soeiation assured the meeting on Friday night, the District Trallic Manager is willing and anxious to meet any deput-i-

tion at New Plymouth which may have suggestions to make concerning local requirements, and we hope that the earliest advantage will be taken of the oiler. The outstanding defect in the present arrangement is the utter inadequacy of facilities for country residents to visit New Plymouth without losing a ■whole day, and in many cases a day and a-lnilf. The earliest train from the south reaches New Plymouth at a quarter to 11, after occupying three hours and 2a minutes in negotiating the 48 miles from llawera. It is, ol course, possible tli.it anyone having but little business to | complete might return by the outward train at 12.50, reaching llawera at 4 o'clock. The only other train for fie south leaves New Plymouth at 4.15,

going only as far as llawera, which is reached at ten minutes to 8 p.m. It is impossible for, say, a Patea resident having more than two hours' business in towji to return home again on the same day, although Patea is only 00 miles distant from New Plymouth. That, however, by the way. We are mainly concerned at present i with the disadvantages of the conditions ' obtaining nearer home. The principal I requirement is a train from Eltham to I reach town not later than 9 o'clock in

the morning. The 'Education Board, at the urgent request of country parents, has consistently advocated the initiation of such a service in the interests of i ur laii"uishiiig higher education. Here the Government has provided all the facilities for secondary and advanced education, has provided and equipped one or the finest technical schools in the Dominion, but, with a shameful disregard to their usefulness, ha* practically shut the doors against country children. The embargo is the more keenly felt by the districts between Inglewood, Waitar.i, and New Plymouth, children in these districts, unless their parents are in a position to pay for board, having no chance of obtaining the same degree of higher education open to the boys and girls of New Plymouth. There, is no doubt, further, that such a train, leaving Eltham. about 0 a.m., would be largely patronised by country resident, whose business in the capital town would involve no undue loss of time from home.

What the Department lias so far rein sud to concede ill the interests of e-.i'l-cation and the travelling public, ho,vever, they may he induced to grant as a concession to our commercial interests, and the Moturoa Freezing Works Company has made a request that cannot, in the industrial interests of the province, be refused. Mr. Morton, of Egmont Village, intimated to the employers' meeting on Friday that the Freezing Works Company had already made a ■ li|iu!st for a dairy produce train lo reach New Plymouth not later than 8.30 a.m. The increasing volume of butler and cheese handled annually at the freezing works demands extra facilities, particularly when it is found that the work oj handling and grading the produce is seriously handicapped under the present arrangements. There is also this important aspect to lie considered, that if the pro(lu"e could lie loaded into trucks ami transferred to the freezing wovKs in the cool of the early morning, a great step in the advancement of the industry would be accomplished. We look forward confidently to the representations tor this train meeting with a prompt and practical endorsement 'by the Department, and, having accomplished ?o much, the raising of the train to the dignity of a "mixed" would follow as a matter of course.

Another requirement of urgency is the provision of a late train out of town on .Saturday. Probably the best patronised local train aj; present is the afternoon train from town on market-day. It is a universal complaint, however, that no service is provided whereby residents between here and Ellham can leave home in tho afternoon and return the same day. Reasonable facilities for reaching New Plymouth are provided ly trains leaving iiawera at 11.10 a.m. and 1.-10 p.m., reaching town at 3.20 p.m. and 3.17 p.m. respectively. What is wante.l is a train leaving New Plymouth after the arrival of the mail train on Saturday nights. 'Such a service, we are convinced, would pay handsomely, and in urging that it be given a trial the district is not asking any more than has long ibeen granted nearly every provincial centre in the Dominion.

A matter of even greater concern to Tanuiaki, one .that directly affects the pockets of every producer and every consumer in the province, is the iniquitous charges on the port line, probably the handsomest paying section of railway tho (iovernnient possesses. Persistent and insistent agitation alone can secure justice to the district. The fact that a general election is approaching suggests a very fitting opportunity to advance our pressing needs, and ive trust that the Chamber of Commerce and the Employers' Association will expedite negotiations on the various matters. With regard qiarticularly to the port line freight charges, the co-opera-tion of every local body and trading) interest affected within the province should be secured, and the Chamber of Commerce should immediately set about arranging for a. monster provincial petition and deputation to the Minister of Railways on, the subject. Agitation alone can bring about recognition of our reasonable requests. Therefore those ill the position to give a lead must ag+tatc without ceasing.

Till-: .SECOND BALLOT. If the Second liallot Dill had boon allowed to pass as originally introduced, there would have been hope that whatever interest or oxeiteinent had been generated through the proceedings in connection with tile iir.,t pn]| would continue on to the seeond; but during its progress through the House a new clause was added to the Dill which ensures that interest in the election shall be absolutely dead when the seeond pull takes place. During the period, he ii seven, or fourteen days, which pas,es between the holding " 0 f the hist and the second polls, iiu Candida ie. nor any person on his behalf, shall be allowed to address any publicmeeting, nor will any person be allowed to print, pub ish, exhibit, or distribute! any advertisement, notice, address, article, or document reloaded to promote or oppose the election of aniy candidate, so that if nay candidate or unscrupulous adherent chooses to put into eiiciilation <i>nic cruel 'viva voce' slander, or defamation, the injured one is debarred the slightest chance of redress. I'nder ordinary circumstances, "give a plausible lie half an hour's start and who can overtake it';" Irn a fair and open fight a good man can explain the facts, he can demonstrate the truth, he can confute and overwhelm his accusers, but when both los tongue and bis hand is tied ne is at the mercy of any knave who chooses to put, into circulation false state-

iiK'uls against l,im. TUie framer of 1-liis .low clause ) u i s evidently boon under the impression Wiat lie luid adequately provided for every possible ooii(i;i;:eney. but it is diflieull in an Act ol Parliament to close the lon-mes "f ~y l ,l. v , <i'«p"-svil men. As if ll(w slands (ho Jjill undoubtedly oilers a premium to Hie uinvortliv.

I" I hi' ordinary all'ail's of life (lie unscrupulous lias ever an advantage over I he self-respcolin-; and (lie honorable. 'I his Kill accentuates (lie position. As was to lie cxped.'d. the ,I'ress of the country, to their honour, have hee:i unanimous in condemnation of this "Witf." and it lias been inipuled to fheni (hat (he outspoken opinions that have been -riven are bass'd upon seliish and. consequently, unworthy motives. This is Hie menu kind „f thin-r that is always to Che li.vnd of (he essentially >kwi. II is dero-ratory to (he eoni"imily Hiat in the discus-ion of a feat public (piestion it should he 'har-red a-rainst (lie press of (he counry lli-.ii Hoy : ,re capabb. of hoin K h,liionced by the , onsidcra I i-m of ,-, f.. w >allry ndvorti-eincnts. Only llmse noli a base sujrj>;«*tinn. .\( leas! with lost of (he iournals of New Zealand lie commercial nml edilorinl doparlmils have no connection with each (•hor: Hi,, commercial branch ; 3 |. :0)) | llirely removed from anv nssooinlinii fill (he o(ii"r departments of n well i induc4od newspaper, "f that (he ini- I ilafinn of moan, sordid mofives falls ilirolv (o (he rrround. But the fact nil impositions have been made nfftinjr (he (rustworthiness of (he I ■ess is ii->( wilhout value a = showinjrj lint a candidate may liave to suffer ■

through similar allegations against his honesty of purpose levelled against him when he is denied any opportunity of .reply.