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Clutha Leader, Volume VIII, Issue 408, 5 August 1881, Page 5

We believe that in no district of the Colony have fewer complaints been heard regarding the working of the railways and the conduct of railway officials than in the dutha. "We are fully aware that here, as elsewhere, we enjoy the inestimable right common to all British 1 subjects in connec--fcion"with such matters— the right to growt/ ' The exercise of this right we have always reserved for some grand occasion in the future — ah occasion" that has not hitherto arisen, and has' not yet arisen. We have always. carefully. noted the various r arrangements made for .the working of the lines, and have been persuaded that these hav6 been so made arid given effect to within honest' desire to meet the wants of the country, and to- impartially accommodate; .the inhabitants of the. various districts. : Where, in general arrangements . atiy_particular district has suffered, those in authority have ever been ready to make such provision as was; possible arid reasonable to-lneet the requhements of -thai particular district. As an instance of this we might refer " to- the accommodation forcarrying passengers by the goods trains betwjagn-Balclutha and Clinton, which has been of so great convenience to the settlers between these' points for a. number of months past. Unfortunately these goods trains, which ran both ways morning and evening, have now been abolished', they having been substituted by one train over night drawn by a heavy engine. Now all \rrfra3iflit the economy of only running ' one train with the heavy engine instead of iSwb, with light engines, when the work can be overtaken in this way. Ifwill also be admitted that by running the goods train over night . the day : passenger traffic. -is less interrupted, and the trains. ..-can be kilt. with' greater regularity and- w£th greater. -safety. So far as the general public therefore are concerned' there appears to be no fault to find with present arrangements but unfortunately these are

most unsuitable for the inhabitants residing in the several districts between Balclutha and Clinton and are detrimental to the interests of this Borough. Here the greater portion of the settlers in the I districts referred to keep their bank accounts, purchase their stores^ and transact their general business. This is also the » centre at which stock and other sales are , periodically held, which are regularly attended by the settlers referred to. Now ' for all such business the trains as at present run .cannot be taken advantage of. For example supposing a Waiwera settler had to attend a sale here at midday he would have to leave home in time to catch the train from Clinton at 6 o'clock, arriving in Balclutha at the very unseasonable hour of about 7 o'clock. He would thus have to hang about for five < hours before the sale, which would probably occupy only an hour or an hour an a-half. Then he would have to wait for the 8 o'clock train before he could start for home. Besides the time, thus wasted it will be seen that the settler would be absent from home morning and evening when multifarious duties about a farm require his attention. No matter how small the business, or however short time it would take to accomplish in Balclutha, the settlers in the districts named, if they wish to travel by rail must leave home at a very early hour in the morning and can only arrive home at a very late hour at night. This under the most favourable circumstances is very inconveniei.t, but during winter, and in the present condition of the district roads it amounts to a prohibition against railway travelling. They are compelled to ride or drive. This is not so comfortable, and it is a loss to the railway revenue. We have thus pointed out the great inconvenience of present arrangements to a large section of the community. We wish we could point to a reasonable solution of the difficulty, for then we believe it would at once be adopted, but we confess we can't. We would only ask the Traffic Manager to consider the matter and see whether there may not be some way of making his general arrangements, so to fit in as to suit the inhabitants of the districts between here and Clinton.