WAIRARAPA TRAIN SERVICES.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10123, 20 October 1910, Page 6

WAIRARAPA TRAIN SERVICES.

FURTHER PROTESTS IN PARLIAMENT. AN INQUIRY WANTED. Severe strictures were made in the House of Representatives on Tuesday with reference to the new timetables for the. Wairarapa and Manawatu lines, the occasion being the presentation of the railways classification list. . > In bringing up the matter, Mr. Ross, M.P. for Pahiatua, said that the new Wairarapa train service was both costly and unsatisfactory. It made necessary the running of goods specials between Alasterton and Woodville. Taking the year all round the number'' of these specials averaged four days per Aveek. The total j annual special train mileage was now 15,540 miles, whilst under the old time-table the special train mileage was practically nil. Not only was the new service opposed to the interests of those it was supposed to serve, but it was nonsensical. From the figures he. would give he would eliminate the "wild cat," also the 2.20 train from Woodville to Cross Creek and the 8.30 a.m. mixed train from Cross's Creek to Woodville. The old time-table produced an annual train mileage in the Cross Creek-Woodville district at a cost of £-19,201. The present unsatisfactory service, however, gave an annual mileage of 201,880 mile? at a cost of £55,517. It would thu; be seen that there was an increase of 22,966 train miles at an increasee cost of £6816 per annum, against the old service that gave general satisfaction. It might be said that his comparison was not a fair one, inasmuch as special goods services had to be run under time old time-table as under the new service. In reply he would assert that there was no fixed run for goods specials under the. old time-table as under the new service. He had not included the Cross Creek-Wellington section, but he was prepared to deal with that j matter on another occasion. Through I sheer incapacity or eussedness, the Department was persisting in maintaining a time-table that stank in the nostrils of every train user and was, as he had said, costing the country £6316 more than a time-table that gave general satisfaction. In spite of the claims of economy in ailway administration, if such losses as he had shown over 78 miles of railway existed, was it not reasonable to conchide that similar mismanagement extended over the whole of the railway system ?

As the Departmental officers appeared to bo quite incapable of compiling a time-table for the Wairarapa with due regard to economy and suitability, ho (Mr. Ross) would suggest one. to them which would meet a growing traffic for some years to come and involve only an increaes of 179 train miles per week by running a train between Masterton and Woodvillo six days per week instead of four days per week as at present. His time-table would be: (1) The 6.'15 a.m. train from Dannevirke to Palmerston should leave Dannevirke at 8.15 a.m., Woodvillc depart 9.40 a.m., Palmerston arrive 10.50 a.m. (2) A train to leave Masterton at 6.30 a.m. (in lieu of the present nonpaying train leaving Cross Creek at 5.25 a.m.), arrive Woodville about 9.25 a.m., connecting with the Palmerston train, as it did prior to the present abortive time-table. (3) A train to leave Cross Creek for Woodville at about 7 a.m., arrive WjOodville 12.45, connecting with the Napier and Auckland mail trains. (4) The 7.45 a.m. WellingtonWoodville train as at present. (5) The other Cross Creek-Ma ster-ton-Woodville trains as at present. (6) The present 8.15 WoodvilleMastorton trqin, by leaving an hour earlier, and arriving at Masterton at 10.20 a.m., would meet in some measure the needs of children attending the Masterton secondary and technical schools, and would iw>t inconvenience anyone. (7) A train to leave Woodville for Cross Creek about 2.30 p.m., connecting with the Wellington-Napier and i down Auckland express for Wairarapa passengers, and to meet the large and growing traffic in regard to perishable goods of liawke's Bay by the 1.45 p.m. (8) In the foregoing scheme all trains not mentioned should remain as at presfent. (9) The 6.30 a.m. train from Mas,terton could run as a motor train, light and inexpensive, and for a trifling additional cost, run a trip from Woodville to Masterton and back, say, Woodville depart 9.50 a.m., connecting with Dannevirke train, Masterton arrive, say, 1.10 p.m.-, Masterton depart, say, 4 p.m., Woodvillc arrive, say, 6.20, connecting with Dannevirke and Palmerston North tains. Masterton arrive, say, 1.10 p.m., Masterton depart, say, 4 p.m., Woodville arrive, say, 6.20, connecting with Dannevirke and Palmerston North trains, and take up its running as the present 6.50 p.m. train. WHO MAKES THE TIMETABLES?

Mr. Ross went on to say that the cost of working the Rimutaka Incline had been put forward as an excuse for diverting the Wairarapa traffic over the Manawatu line. Yet ho was prepared to stake his political reputation on the fact that the cost per ton to-day under a restricted timetable was greater than during 1907-8, when the equipment was working full steam, as against the present policy of worknig the staff and engines for only three or four trips daily, which entailed the same supervision and working conditions as formerly. Estimating the present daily tonnage via Rimutaka at 500 tons, as against 2000 tons per day in 1907-8, he concluded that 1500 tons per day was being diverted from via Rimutaka to via Manawatu for Woodville-Eketa-liuna, an average distance of 118 miles, as' against 101 via Rimutaka. At the rate of one penny per ton per additional mile, the diverted traffic of 1500 tons per day was costing over £IOO additional per day. This amount I would go a long way if not complete- ' lv meet the cost of keeping the In-

clino engines and staff at full reasonable work, and at the same time give a reasonable service to the Wairarapa settlers, instead of starving one district and glutting another with congested traffic. He could not conclude without casually remarking on the extravagant time-table now in existence on the Manawatu between Palmerston North and Wellington. Here, too, lie could arrange a suitable timetable, which would effect a saving of £6OOO to £7OOO per year. The running of the Napier and New Plymouth mails as separate trains beI tween Palmerston and Wellington I was not justified by the traffis. The trains could be knocked into one, and then not be a large train. He thought | lie had said quite enough to warrant the Minister in holding a searching inquirv into "how time-tables aic | made in New Zealand," and who I makes them. The Minister would be justified in getting an outside expert | to go into the Avhole matter. ,ln the oldllays the time-tables were framed without the officials of the district concerned being consulted, and he was told it was becoming worse and worse. They were told now that they were, getting management of the railways by one official only. That should not be allowed to continue. The railways should be run in the interests of the whoe of the people. Although lie had served in the Department for twenty years, he felt that he was only justified in bringing up the matter.

UNIYERSAL DISCONTENT. Mr. Hogg (Masterton) said that as a result of the present service there was universal complaint all along tlie line. Everywhere lie was told that things were worse than they were twenty years ago. This was not only the case in regard to the Wairarapa line. There could lie no doubt hut that a huge blunder had been made in diverting the Wellington-Napier express to the Manawatu line. There was some evil genius who was re- I sponsible for the drafting of the timetables. If he could be discovered, his effigy would he burnt in all the townships along the Wairarapa and Manawatu lines. One of the great defects in regard to the new service was that the children could not attend school at the regular hours. If the Minister woidd take the views of the people who travelled along either the Wairarapa or Manawatu, he would find that there was universal discontent. Instead of listening to chambers of commerce, the Minister should travel along the line himself. It was an abominable time-table. Mr. Buchanan (Wairarapa) said that he had been attempting to get the time-table remedied for a long time. All that he wanted was com-mon-sense attention to the wants of his district. He agreed that the position of affairs as regards the Manawatu service was also unsatisfactory. For himself, he did not know that only one official was responsible for the time-tables. Whoever were so responsible should be brought to book. The railways had not been built to be the playthings of the officials. As a result of the new service Masterton people who wished to do business in Wellington were hampered. He was surprised that the Postal Department was not consulted when the timetable was being carried out. Nothing was known by the Department as to the proposed alterations until they were announced. The train which left Wellington at 4.45 a.m. should be reinstated. Under the present service Masterton was not reached until midday, and Masterton people could not reach -Wellington before the same hour. He wanted fair play for what had proved a satisfactory line. If justice had been done tho Wairarapa, the line woidd have been deviated at a cost of something over £300,000, and it would have paid handsomely. The Minister should inquire into the matter for himself. " The Hon. J. A. Millar said that ho would have a look at the timetable submitted by Mr. Ross. As members knew, Mr. Ross had had considerable railway experience. The Department intended to go into the question of the Wairarapa time-table as soon as the session was concluded.. It was intended to do away with the train which went through from the Wairarapa to Palmerston North and back. If Pahiatua and Masterton were excepted there was hardly a station in the district which would pay axle grease. Mr. Ross was wrong in stating that hauling cost more over the Manawatu line than via the Rimutaka. Under the new time-table a saving of £14,000 per annum was made. When Mr. Ross took out his figures he based the whole traffic as if it went further than was the actual case. Neither Mr. Ross nor anyone else could show it would pay to take traffic over the Summit if it could be taken via the Manawatu. Indeed, it would pay to take traffic 10' miles further via trie Manawatu. Mr. Ross: The grades are pretty bad on the Manawatu. Continuing, Mr. Millar said that it might happen that some members might have seen a train running half empty now and again. As a matter of fact the eturn. for the past four weeks was £28,000 above the four weeks for the corresponding period of last year. As regards the complaint that people in"the Wairarapa and Manawatu districts did not get sufficient time in Wellington he might point out that only up to a certain distance could people get a service which would give them any length of time in Wellington. If' the expresses were made to stop at more places what time would people who lived at a distance from the stations in the Taranaki district reach their homes ? He noticed also that Mr. Buchanan wanted to see the 4.45 a.m. wild cat from Wellington reinstated. It would not pay to run the train simply for mails and newspapers. Mr. Buchanan : And goods. Mr. Millar added that if there had been any necessity for the train to be run for goods it would have been run all the time. The whole question would be dealt with in the recess.