THE NEW TIME-TABLE AND THE PIAKO COUNTY COUNCIL.

Waikato Times, Volume XXIII, Issue 1936, 2 December 1884, Page 2

THE NEW TIME-TABLE AND THE PIAKO COUNTY COUNCIL.

At the meeting of the Piako County Council on Wednesday la->t, the chairman, Mr W. L. C. Williams', brought under the notice of the council the matter of thenew time* table. Hesaid a good many of the settlers in the Thames Valley were exceedingly bitter on the matter of the new time-table. These people lived a good few miles from the railway station, and as thp train did not get in now until about six o'clock in the evening, it was very late before they readied thtir res-pective homes, and travelling after dark over bad roads was attended with very considerable danger as they were all aware. But it was not always that these after dark journeys were made, as people did not care to undertake them, and 30 they were obliged to stay in Cambridge until the following morning. He knew of a case on the previous day where a party had come in to meet the train, not knowing of the alteration in the time-table, and instead of getting back home in time for tea, they did not reach home until about 10 30. Though the townspeople, who supported the new time-table, contended in its favour that by it they were enabled to go to Auckland, do their business, and return home in two days, they seemed to forget that the country settlers, who were mainly to be considered under the new time-table, could not make a trip to Auckland and return under three days. Therefore, whatever little benefit the change afforded was solely enjoyed by the townspeople, and the country settlers were altogether ignored in the matter. The only ground — certainly not a very liberal one — that the townspeople of Cambridge had been able to urge ia favour of the late arrival of the train was that tourists and travellers on their way to the interior would be obliged to remain in Cambridge over night instead of going on to Oxford as they otherwise might, and for the few shillings that were thus spent the storekeepers and the livery atablf-keepers back the hotelkeepers up. While at Ohaupo Mr Hudson stated he received a petition largely signed. The names of Messrs Wells and Soutter and Messrs Lewis and Simpson appeared on the petition, and he (Mr Hudson) considered that these names were fairly representative of the Cambridge district. There was not, he would venture to say, a man in Cambridge who would benefit by the change more than the hotelkeepers and livery stablekeepers. On the other hand, there was not a settler outside Cambridge who was not really injured by the new time-table. Almost every settler had % child attending the school, who, under the late timetime was almost able to bring home the mail and papers of an evening ; now, unless a special messenger were sent in, these people could not get their mails or their papers till the following day. Cr. Maclean said the interests of those who were inconvenienced by the change were much larger and greater than those oonvenienoed by it. Had the public feeling been more universally tented, he ventured to state that no change would ever have been made. Cr. Williams said the Cambridge petition was got up ia a hole and corner manner. No one who was not likely to sign it had been asked to. The public were not aware until told by Mr Hunson that such a petition had been going round. > „ The other members having spoken at some length against the change, it was agreed to communicate with the Railway Department, protesting against the change.- < .■ , report was depatched on 'Friday^ .bat; failed? to> mcb\thia office until yesterday.— Ed. }.> „-,.,,