WAIRARAPA TRAINS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10256, 7 June 1911, Page 5

WAIRARAPA TRAINS.

DEPUTATION TO THE MINISTER

A deputation representing various public bodies in the Wairarapa, introduced by Mr A. W. Hogg. M.P., waited on the Minister of Railways (the Hon- J. A. Millar) yesterday morning, with a request that an afternoon train should leave Masterton for stations north of that place. Such a train, it was pointed out, would be of, great value to settlers and school children, because at present there is no fain going north from Masterton between 11.45 a.m. and 6 p.m.. The' deputation urged that the difficulty could be got over by placing a passenger car on the goods train passing through Masterton about 4 p.m. It was also stated that, owing to the inconvenience arising from the alteration of tho time table, a number of settlers had almost given up travelling by train altogether.

The Minister said the Government had had a very big struggle to keep the railways on the right side of the ledgers, but that had now been done, and he was prepared to consider the question of improvements in the railway service. Ho had said all along that the Government had no desire to make money out of tho railways for tho purpose of feeding up the Consolidated Fund. So long as they could make the lailways pay their interest he was perfectly satisfied. This year they had been fortunate enough to do a little better than that, leaving a net profit of £IIO,OOO, and that lie proposed to share partly with the employees and partly in giving increased facilities to the public. As to tho goods train referred to, that was only a special train that ran for about eight months in the year, and had already been discontinued. If it was put on again it would cost about £7500 a year. That was a lot of money, and be wanted to know how it was going to be made to pay. However, he would put a trial train on for a month ; he had no objection to facing a small loss, believing that it would bo made up in the summer months. Tho train would leave Masterton not later than 4 p.m., going as far as Woodville. The train would start running as soon as the Traffic Manager could get out a timetable.