THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. SATURDAY, JULY 23, 1910. THE RAILWAY SERVICE.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10048, 23 July 1910, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. SATURDAY, JULY 23, 1910. THE RAILWAY SERVICE.

From time to time diseatssfaciinn wi'tii ti;e existing railway timetable of i' - .~ Wnirnrapa service finds exprer.su n in places other than Mas-tert'-u :v d iii.: northern end. The latj est development in this matter is I an articulate protest by the Feather- | sfon people. They cannot understand why it shoulfl be that the trains have been sj limed that the time which may he spsnt by a visiter to I Wellington in doing business m that j centre is curtailed io such an ex- | tent that it is almost useless; that , is, if the visitor wishes to go to the city and buck the same day, But the Featherston people have discovered still Brother joint in tL'e Minister's armour It appears that if or.e takes a ticket from any part cf the Wairarspa to the Hutt, and the?.

purchases a ticket at that place to Wellington and back, a saving of nearly two shillings may bf made 011 the journey to and from Wairarapa With the points made about the delay 3on the journey to Wellington from Wairarapa everybody who is unfortunate enough to have !o nvake the journey is only too well acquainted There is absolutely | no exctist: far these delays, but neither 13 there for the other and many discrepancies of the irritating mismanagement. Yet every effort which has been made up to the present to it.duca the Minister to bring about needed reform has ended in nothing. Is there any ether way in which the powers that are can ba influenced? The Chambers of Commerce have done their share,, the member for Mas'cton has made several appeals, and the pres. l ? has been unwearying in its efforts. What next? Well,

we are of cpinion—seeing that neither the member for Masterton Dor the member for Wairarapa has any weight (if one is to judge by results) —that tlifi public must move if it expects or hopes for a change. The voice of the people has a distinct effect upon Ministers at any time, and we have only to point to the progress made in social reform directions for confirmation of this. Here is a reform which is much needed, and in which every man and woman in the community is interested. Can the people be inauced to take a hand in the work of agitation? Perhaps if a public meeting were called here, the other towns of Wairarapa would follow and there would bu thus set on foot an sgita*ion cut cf which might grow another which would result in the

construction of the deviation. As our

readers sire av>.ait\. the r e is.in the

pigeon in !es of liie Department a report laid 011 tiie lal.le of the House showing that the savu g tffected by the deviation of the Rimutaka portion of the line would piovide 3 per cent on the cost of that deviation, and 1 per cent, sinking fund for repayment of the necessary loan of £450,000. And we would warn these people of the northern Wairarapa that if that deviation is ever to be made it is they who must press forward in their demand for the wofk, and they must also place on record their protest against the construction of the branch line to Martinborough by way of Peatherston. The line Ehould go by way of Woodside, Greytown and Morison's Busb, the rhenper and the better line of the two. But not one of these necessary steps will ever be taken if public opinion be not made manifest. That is the true position, and we would urge upon the people to take the matter into their immediate and favourable consideration. Who will lead the way?