CORRESPONDENCE.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 9623, 16 October 1909, Page 5

CORRESPONDENCE.

To the Editor.

Sir, —Judging by the expressed annoyance of the Minister of Railways at facts leaking out through an "irresponsible" official, it is quite clearly intended to divert the express trains running through ■ the Wairarapa between Wellington and Napier, to the West Coast route, and to leave the Wairarapa line as a second grade branch line with a series of trains with cowcatchers on the rear to prevent accidents. Whether th's is a punishment for the election of a sturdy Opposition member by the Wairarapa electorate, for the Masterton member's recent Ministerial defection, or as a warning to the uther electorates not to "go dry" as Masterton has, is known only to the authorities, but it is just about time that the Wairarapa woke up. This district has been very badly treated in the matter of railways. In other parts of Naw Zealand, North and South, money has been lavishly spent in lines that may or may nut pay for axle grease, while an urgently needed piece of work here which would be reproductive, shorten the distance between Wellington and Napier, prevent a serious congestion of traffic on the West Coast line, and avoid that extremely dangerous section in the Manawatu gorge—the Rimutaka deviation—is totally ignored. The distance between NaDier and Larnbton via Palmerston North is 199 miles, betwnen Napier and Te Aro via Wairarapa it is 211 miles, only about ten miles longer, allowing for the difference bniween Thorndon and Lambton stations. The Rimutaka deviation would make the Wairarapa route the

shortest, ind quickest, and do away with the Incline blunder. It seems the reverse of good railway policy to throw all t,he traffic over a line that is already taxad to its utmost to contend with the growing Auckland- Wellington and New Plymouth Wellington through traffic. The only alternative is that for reasons not on the surface, the object is to force a loan for big expenditure in duplicating the line between Wellington and Palmerston North. I suggest that the Mayor should call an indignation meeting in the Town Hall, Masterton, as early as convenient, and the Wairarapa people from Martinborough up to Pahiatua, etc., be invited to form an association to protest against the Minister's proposal, push matters for the Rimutaka deviation, and the railway devlepoment of Wairarapa generally. If we don't wake up now and make things lively we shall, deserve to he shunted to the backblocks as proposed in the new tinttable.—l sm, etc., R. BROWN.