RAILWAY TRAVELLING.-A COMPLAINT. TO THE EDITOR OF THE PRESS.

Press, Volume LIII, Issue 9304, 3 January 1896, Page 6

RAILWAY TRAVELLING.-A COMPLAINT. TO THE EDITOR OF THE PRESS.

Sib,—Few care to " bell the cat," but I feel it my duty as a citizen to draw your attention to what ia unquestionably a growing abuse of the railway system in this colony. This morning I escorted a lady friend to the Southern express, and left her seated in one of the two small compartments of what is known as the bogy carriage, to my intense surprise I found that while I was absent a few moments saying good bye to a few cricketing friends tho lady referred to was (although she held a first class ticket) turned oui> of the compartment, bag and baggage. Upon making enquiries of the station master I was told that the compartment was engaged by two Catholic priests, and that it was by their direct intervention that my friend was turned out. Being suspicious that the reverend gentlemen were not within their rights, and thauking God that we had evolved from the " Dark Ages." I pressed my enquiries to the tallest extent and found from the Statiocmaater himself that whilo the priests demanded the compartment in toto they bad only paid for two seats. Now I desire to know by what right the Siationmaster at Christchurch acquiesced in this arrangement. Being holiday time the express was crowded, and my lady friend had, while noc only with discomfort to herself, but with considerable inconvenience to others to crush into an already over full carriage. As a matter of fact, I am not yet sure that she got a seat at all, for the last I saw of her was htanding on the platform of the overcrowded carriage referred to, while my lords the priests occupied a carriage between them.

I may say that the oriests have no excuse for itheir behaviour; for when I explained that they had no right to the whole compartment without having paid for. the re*

maining four or five seats, they were most insulting, especially before the lady and .her lady friends who were also peeing her off. Hoping, sir, that in the interats of the travelling community in general you will demand an explanation of the incident referred to, and apologising for occupying so much of your space.—Yours. &0., Arthub McDoxald, Of Dunedin. F.S.—I should liko to add that anothei lady and two gentlemen were anxious to obtain seats in tho compartment I have ieferred to.—A.McD.