THE RAILWAY TIME-TABLE.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1905, 18 June 1889, Page 3

THE RAILWAY TIME-TABLE.

INDIGNATION MEETING AT WINCHESTER. An important public meeting was held in the sohoolhouse, Winchester, on Saturday evening kit to protest against the present railway time-table, and to take some steps to have the present altered. The people of this township have been especially badly treated by the railway commitii,oners, and when the lime for the meatin gjr.3o, arrived, it was eeen that scarcely a business m n in the place was absent from the room, while the settlers from a considerable distance round were ako present. ■ Mr A. W. Ensor was voted to the chair, apd .explained the purpose for which the meeting bed been called. He said that be was aware that correspondence wn passing between Mr J. Mundell, of Geraldine, and ■the commissioners about the time-table, and Vjiow was the time to make any alterations. He A thonght it was clear the commissioners were ally determined to adhere to the present time j'ipjphe express. The ahiration of the evening 1 train to 3.10 would help the district a little, I Fnt the main question of the mails still re'•iSwned di inconvenient as ever. A letter \,, came from Christchurch by the slow train ’ "“ Wd gob to Winchester at about one o’oloet. ■>tb was not possible to answer that till next day’s slow train,. The reply was delivered in % ehriitohnroh about three o’clock, when many •' o! the offices were olcood, and thus three days were required to get a letter from Winchester to Christchurch and back. He con-

" Bid’ercd the arrangements now were as bad as | ' in the. old coaching times, if not worse. ■’Vi (Applause.) The ritering of the evening • - J train from Timaru to 3.10 helped them a little, but everybody could not get his busi- , ness done in Timaru by 3.10, and unless he 'could do so, ho could not return from Timaru that; night. He did not think it was much use asking for the express to sf ’ip regularly at Winchester. He would suggest that a request be made for it to stop, say, twice a week ‘ at Winchester. He then road a letter from Mr J. A, Young regretting hia inability to attend the meeting that evening, and expressing the hop j that a strong resolution would be passed asking for the train to stop at Winchester. He pointed out that it was the station for a very large district, and for years the express had always pat down or laken up pasiengers every day, The township was a great resort for visitor*, (.specially during the fishing see-on. The chairman also road the alterations in the time-table published in this paper on Saturday last., He pointed out that this gave him V. an hour and a-quarter in Tima; a, which was 1 ■Lvirtually nselesa. Ho had seen Mr Gaston, ‘vffao had told him that unless the district formed together and made some strong resolution for him to forward to Wellington he pould sot, and would not, do anything. So

long as the district sat down and did nothing the commiseioners would do nothing, Mr DcEeczy said ho would not be in favor of asking 100 much ; they simply wanted a little convenience, He moved the following request Thai the express train stop at South Bangitata and Winchester on Saturdays, if required; that the stationmaster at Winchester or guard be empowered to stop the train to take up or set down through passengers to Christchurch or Dunedin; and that the commissioners bo requested to endeavor to make some arrangement for picking up the mails by the north express, as the present arrangements cause great delay.” Mr H. Smith seconded the proposition. Mr Jones asked how long it took to send a letter to Christchurch under the old timetable P The chairman raid a letter sent from Christchurch in the morning got to Winchester about 12 o’clock, and could be answered in the afternoon. A letter sent dating the afternoon could get to the Christchurch office in the morning, and there was then a train leaving there at 12 o'clock. Mr Jones did not think the commissioners would alter the present time-table, and he moved ae an amendment—” That the old time-table be reverted to." Mr 0. Harr seconded this. The amendment on being put was thrown out, and the resolution carried. Mr Oarston moved—“ That a petition be drawn up and signed by the residents in the district, asking for the resolution to be carried out.” Mr Barratt seconded. Mr H. Smith moved as an amendment, and Mr Woodley seconded—'" That the resolution just adopted be forwarded to the member for the district without further signature, and he be asked to urge the matter forward.” The amendment on being put was carried. It was pointed out that there were some five or six local industries carried on in the district, and the present train amagoments made it almost impossible for them to continue. Mr Deßenzy wanted to know if the chairman could tell him who paid for the railways. Was it the through travellers or the country people ? The chairman said the eonntry people, certainly. Mr Deßenzy said that in that case the country people should have some consideration, Ha did not see why they should be put to such great inconvenience when they bed to pay for the railways. The chairman said the commissiosers were new fully aware ef the mischief the present arrangements were causing, and (bat the traffic was going from them. If the traffic was ease lost they '*--ould have a job to get it back again. It was pointed ok that a gentleman came down from Christchurch to pass the work being carried out at the church, and had to take a through ticket to Temuka. He came down by the slow train, and bed to walk to Temuka to get back to Christchurch the same day. The chairman said the commissioners classed Winchester with such stations as the North and South Bangitata, Hinds, etc., where there was very little population. He had told Mr Garson that they must not class it with those places, as there they had very few persons to pick up or set down. (Applause.) The commissioners wouM no doubt like to slip through tho thing if they could, and if they could slip through it decently they would. (Applause.) The meeting terminated with a vote of thanks to tha chair.