The Daily News. TUESDAY, JANUARY 6, 1914. THE RAILWAYS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 160, 6 January 1914, Page 4

The Daily News. TUESDAY, JANUARY 6, 1914. THE RAILWAYS.

The train service between Napier and Wellington is shortly to be ''speeded up" to t'he extent of un hour and twenty minutes, whilst the travelling time of tlio Main Trunk express is to bo appreciably shortened. This is the result of representations made by the the members of P.'.rlijinient for the districts concerned, who, growing tired or tlio stereotyped answer of th« Department in the past to reipcatwl requests for improvement, saw Mr. Ililey, the new general iwanag'er, who expressed himself in full sym}pa thy with the Object of the members and undertook to place experts on tllie services to see where improvements iu -running time could be 'effected. The Tnrana'ki members saw Mr. Ililey about the same time with regard to accclerat- ! ing the speed oi tile mail trains and | improving the local services, -which are no hotter now than they were twenty years ago, notwithstanding the. better rolling stock, easier gradients, and the general staff's improved efficiency. Whether the expert has lbevn over the service ou this coast wc, do not know, hut if the Ilawkc's Bay and Main Trunk services can l>e improved at once, we see 110 reason why our service should not be similarly improved. One does not. require to ho an expert to see. how and where time can bej saved on the run between New Plymouth and Wellington. At least a couple of hours can easily he ' cut off the journey] pro- * baibly more if the engines were run at ■ tlicir full capacity instead of haviiig 011 Imost love! runs to bo (held back in case the trains might arrive at the. stations before scheduled time. As for the local Taranaki sei-vieie, it is a disgrace to the Department and the country generally. Tlio trains travel at a snail-like pace, with inordinate stops at every station en route, the aim of the Department suemingly being to make the journey for passengers as long and tedious as possible. It is ridiculous for the authorities to contend, as they have contended for years, in reply to Hie frequent representations,- that it will not I pay the Department to expedite the services. Let it try first of all, and judge the result. A private concern would anticipate Requirements and provide facilities accordingly. The Railway Department, 'because it has a monopoly of the business, lags in the rear all the time, and has never 'been guilty of even beeping pace with demands. Suoli a thing would he against all precedent, | and for that reason has never been cou--1 sidered. Taranaki furnishes a striking example of the Department's unbusinesslike methods. A company would put 011 an early train to New Plymouth 011 Saturday, returning late at nigflit, be- « cause it would recognise at once the 9 good opening that exists. Approached g on the subject, the Department still a holds up its hands in absolute disI® approval of such an idea, which it characterised as impracticable. The real fact of the matter is that the service would pay, and pay lumdsomely, from its commencement, but | the Department in the past has not reI cognised the possibilities of the service. Its obtuseness in connection with this and other matters would lead one to imagine that it wants' to make no change because of the extra work involved, v Then there is the matter of issuing 8 week-end excursion tickets in the sum- . mer months from Ilawera to New Plyg mouth. This request has been "turnI od down" by the Department more than once, it appearing to think that reduced fares would result in reduced revenue, 8 altogether overlooking the fact, which I should he apparent from its own experi- | eilce, that excursion fares invariably in- | duce large numbers to travel who could no't think of doing so were they to pay r the' ordinary fares. In the ' summer months hundreds of people from the inland districts would readily and gladly "pend a day at the seaside if tire cost were within their means, which it is | not at present. But-the Department | never thinks of catering for the public | 11: this or any other way. It is totally deli fioient. in enterprise. It looks askance I at all legitimate demands for improved | facilities and studies what it foolishlv | considers its own interests before those f of t,u ' community, forgetting or iß„m----t ing its responsibilities to the public, the J* owners of the railways. Most people J* 1,1 (1 hoping that a new 'era in railway | administration will be opened witli the £ advent of the new general manager. It is | 110 public servant in the <hj s . I torv of Now Zealand has had opportunity ties so extensive and so magnificent as £ He before -him. So far he has had j, barely time to look around him, but £ the proposed acceleration of the j; Napier and Main Trunk services £ " l 11 stogu one to £ J.'elievft that he will legitit mate needs of the public throughout the >♦ Dominion! a"<i make the service the j. pride and not the lauding stock of t everyone. In no place has Mr. Hil<%g> eater scope to show his adminislra- £ tive qualities and appreciation of what is rightly due to the public than in laianaki, and we hope the meniber.s for S province will at an early date meet him again ami-not rest satisfied until Hte obsolete and imufuquate services ;• that are. now inflicted on this long-suf-t fi-,ring province are -superseded hy serl vil ''' 3 in keeping with Taranaki'g dej velopnient and importance and that can J 11, . r e,aml to 'efficiency and up-to-date- '* ness.