RAILWAY TICKET CHECKING.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XIII, Issue 4102, 2 May 1892, Page 3

RAILWAY TICKET CHECKING.

The writer of the paragraph alleging the genoral practice of dishonest travelling on the Wairarapa railway—" uunierous instances" were the precise words he tmad if we remember rightly—thus attempts to justify hia assertions. We roproduce Mi letter in fairness to those upon %'hom reflection was cast, and will gladly throw in any measure of satisfaction aud relief of conscience it gives its author : . lOOPY.J B. Dawson Esq, Traffio Agent, 'Wei-lington-Maatertou Ruilway. Sir—Your letter to me calling in 1 question the correctness of the statement made in the Wairarapa Standard of Friday tho 22nd, that" numbers of persons travel over tho hill without paying," 1 "desiro to acknowledge and thank yuu for. I have no wish to answer yuu save in a gentlemanly and truthful spirit, and when 1 toll you that in writing the paragraph Iwasfree from "a mischievous and malicious inspiration ''—that I did not hint at a "defective supervision" on the part of the Oommisßionors, or oarelessneea on the part of the guards, I trust you will give me credit thus far, And it is in no spirit of bravado that 1 now challenge you to the test you yourself have suggested that " the allegations in the paragraph can bo conclusively proved to be absolutely and /Vtirely lalse," You cannot do it. i SLet me tell you why 1 wrote the paragraph, About twelve months ago, while travelling from Wellington, I first got an inkling of the awindlo from personal observation, Some months later I heaid one individual tell how he had travelled " on the cheap " and describe the modus operandi'. And when, last week, a lady teacher, who has been traiolling weekly for some time on tho line to Wolhngton and back, from the Wairarapa, felt it to be her duty to call my attention to what she had occasionally seen of this kind of travelling, describing the process in ' much the Bame terms as the individual aboTe referred to did—l thought it was time for the press to call attention to it, And now you, as traffic agent, coolly tell thopubhethat the allegations are absolutely and entirely false—that malice & mischief are at the bottom of them—and > that the residents of the Wairarapa have been grossly libelled, lean assure you that such remarks up this way excite nothing but laughter. Yours faiihfully, (Signed) W. C. Nation, Proprietor, Wairarapa Standard.