WORKERS' TRAIN TO LYTTELTON

Press, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22081, 1 May 1937, Page 20

WORKERS' TRAIN TO LYTTELTON

SO THB BDITOB Or THB PEESS.

Sir—Would you kindly allow me space to. direct attention to the disgraceful state of accommodation on the workers' train in the morning from Christchurch to Lyttelton. They are packed on the platforms of cars like sardines for two or three cars next the van and the workers from Heathcote have no chance of getting a seat. The guard and his assistants can hardly squeeze their way through the crowd to collect the tickets from Heathcote. I have not had a seat on the train for the last three months, except when there were only two or three boats in port. For the privilege of standing we are asked to pay an extra 14s on our half-yearly pass. This is one of the best paying lines in the Dominion and yet we have to put up with this rise in fares, unheard of before. The best workers the Labour Party has in Heathcote for its cause have been hard hit by this extreme rise and if it is not modified to a good extent, it may *»et a severe shock later on. I wish Mr Sullivan or Mr Brittenden would take a ride on this train and they would see for themselves that everything in this letter is absolutely true.—Yours, etc.. „..,»-„«,,,«. A STANDER ON THE PLATFORM. April 27. 1937. ("The District Traffic Manager, to whom this letter was referred to-day, states: "The loading of the workers' train varies from 300 to 700 passengers. On occasions it is overcrowded because of an unexpected influx of passengers. It may be mentioned in this regard, however, that a number of the men prefer to stand on the" car platforms, although seats are available. This morning (Friday), for instance, men were standing although there "were 95 vacant seats on the train, and it is considered that these seats would have been sufficient to provide for all the men who were standing. A number of men travelled on the car platforms from Christchurch' this morning,, although at that stage of the journey a large number of seats were available. One of these men explained that by riding there they were first off the train at the port and obtained a good positionwhen the "call" for labour was made. 1 The ride from Christchurch occupies only 18 minutes, and from Heathcote five minutes." With reference to the question of fares, the Traffic Manager, stated that the Hon. Minister had in his interviews with the press fully qualified the alterations that had been made in suburban season and trip tickets, and it was not necessary for him to traverse the position except to say that the new scale for the sixmonthly season ticket Heathcote to Lyttelton, represented the small charge of less than Is 8d a week for an unlimited number of trips; and this could not be deemed an unreasonable charge. As a number of the workers returned home to Heathcote for lunch, the charge to them represented less than Id a trip for a ride of more than two miles.l