THE NEW, RAILWAY TIMETABLE.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 694, 20 December 1909, Page 7

THE NEW, RAILWAY TIMETABLE.

ANOTHER "DAIRY REGULATIONS" BUNGLE. •

COMPLAINTS EVERYWHERE. Tho now railway timo-iablo, m applied ta ■'4 Wellington, Taranaki, and Hnwko'a Bay pro-' '.-'3 finoes, ftppoirs ( to bo onothor "Dairy Kogula- ; 11 ions", bungle, writes a correspondent, and tf .. :-; v:| ;hero were a general clcclion to-mcrrow, the . ;; j jeneral opinion in the districts affootcd 18 that :• j; lie Gijreramont would go out en this, their ,-i atest, monstrosity./ : With tlio regular time-table service cat downl ■ n all directions to a slale of almost general ' nconvenitnoe, confusion has been intousihed by *- v :he necessity to run special trams to cope with -v lie abnormal traffic.'The result has been that. iince the new service was inaugurated a fortlight ago, there has been: hardly a tiain run--IIUS to sencdulod time. Not only that, but a-.-•here have been instances of- goods being side- ■ r './ jracked; at various ; stations, and apparently . iorgotten. This 1 has happened' with reference . ;o wool on the Wairarapa line, and whichwaj j ionsigued t .fpr. a special sale in Wellington. ,• • » the transit ,of perishable goods from. Welling;on has also been delayed. AH the time the [tailway or rather.- tho oßiciali : ';;ii )f the railway stations are working at high ■ : iressuve night and day:: ' Specials r are, romg through: every day-Sundays : inoludcd,:?;: Jne day last week a train, with . fifty loaded; *'i Tucks, went- through in tho night' from Mani- , vatu to Wellington,; and camo back ngain tho • text .morniug,- leaving Wellington apparently .v:; #*■ *bout half-past three o'clock. 111 - the Waira- '• •ftpa there .is evidence., of the - same abnormal '•;• ;raiUc. _ In one .day - iroin -Ifoatlierstou- last; ycok, there were dispatched by various trains* nincludiug specials, .nearly one hundred' and'''■'??s iorty trucks- of sheep, wool,: and chaff.": Tho ivooi ' aloho sent on this one day constituted 1 1000 bales, at «£20,00Q, Wool is rolling nto all the. stations, in the country at a total : rate. of thousands ot' : hales 'per day. : The . ; ;horo is tho abnormal live sheep traffic" to tho Wellington abattoirs,: to say nothing' of* but- •• v ; • :cr, cheesc, • and other stuff;;' '• : •<;. 1 eople are asking why the Railway Depart- - 1 nent; indulges in a huge . experimental time-"' 'C-- • ;able scheme:when,.traffic of every.description S' greater- than, .at -any. -other• portiou' , ot:thd'' : -"' ,; '- t rear. No doubt tho-roih ay officials did their t i.i W i t.* 10 ? : c °nipiled tho; new,, )ut the whole method seems to reflect' considet , - : ;: t Wy on the administratis heqd. Liko the no:onous. dairy regulations, this timo-tablo was jompilca in tho utmost secrecy. • For all tho Department cared;thepeople •; whose money v;«: Hakes the wheels go round, might havo been '• •-■-r't; .no inhabitants of Jupiter, _or. Mars, orVsomo v ' >ther oelestial abodo.'': some- ntivra' ■ >r the iiew time-table, leaked. out, the Depart- •• ncnt implied in. the most barefaced .manuef '/vV I :l\at no change was intended, while' all tho .v. •U5 e i- , 11 schedule for;ptinting."-: kvhen local bodies and chamuers- of coni- ; '• nerce \ b6gan >■ topoint, but-. iiTCjgularitics-v'l-r-ivi--SM- tho , -suggested Bchedulejv: the.,: Hon/ Millar sheltered himself< bch{M ':the'. 6tateincutf,t.Vt?A: hat no change could be made two monthv iS: jecauso the .time-tables were already/ Jne wonders- how ; tho. honourable gentleman''• s- treating his favoured South' Island rail*- J V 'i vays, now, being; carried along: on tho. broad'X" v '<' lacks of t'lie 1 very ■ North' Ismnd organisations,'^ rhich the .Minister." i»> injnring : through' ! n i • P, 0 H e S-.':. . Another point: It was .stated )mc"uly, that onn .of ..(ho reasons. why ~ tho ; ffnirarapa services .would bo cut down was . tmt traffic' between .Eketahuna' 4 and < '.Wood-«:!&■ olio i woiild : ,go via i'i iVoouvjlle traOic, and also traffic from j iawkes Bajr,' is.even now going' through thfl#<:' ;.' [Vairarapa, for ■ tho,' simple reason ' ttat : >TP3N Uanavrate ,lme is overloaded. .'Another iVhat lias, tho Railway Department done in /.a Ae Jast ten years to make the Jilanawatu jqrgo safe for train runningf. .Nothing. .'And : | n tho' winter, tlio- lino' has proved- itself this ''3 nost- unsafo. in all Now Zealand. . Wliv has ''' ] lot the Department'cut farther into the gorge l, | nils' for. a . firmer,. track ?.Answer •' lade of rams—or money. . Tho deviation of ,the Rimutalra is absolntoly J necessary in, order that tho: railways mny copo the■:traffic;which mnst incrdaso; ■ Why ' j 'M. the .Department dono nothing in this re:- '' J poet?.. Answer-. Because administrat-") heads ■ ? if; tlioi railways';cannot,see any fart, -r than""" 1 heir noses.v One thing, howover,' socnis'to' be ' ilain ..regarding tho new-: time-table. '■■: In ? loxt ; three months, ', the' Minister. should -ihow i temporary abnormal profit for,various-Northi .slnnd.sections, at the ej^'eriserpf. a skin-flint'" ; >'■ lolieyi'.anl the general inconvehionce of the' ,- iliblic. Tlio revenue, however,- will 1 snflor atcr." .. ; \v,. .i;.-.,' , v./