DOES MR. MILLAR KNOW?

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 805, 30 April 1910, Page 6

DOES MR. MILLAR KNOW?

Sir, —Oar Honourable. 'Minid-.Ar for Railways has returned, from his visit to . the Commonwealth filWj with mw ideas of the virtues of our railway system. Particularly is he impressed with the speed of our trains, though he admits that in- the suburban services great expedition is exercised in handling the traffic. If Mr. Millar will withdraw his eyes from the far horizon and study the performances of some feeing on the Wellington-Hutt section, he will probably modify his opinion of the speed of our mail, trains and find, in at least one instance, scope for emulation' of the splendid Australian suburban services The Wakarapa and Napier train, which is a through train, • leaves Wellington at 7.45 ajn. It is timed to leave tbo Lower Hutt at B*lo, but for some weeks past has never crawled out of that station before 8.15. This, of course, is. a small matter to the handful of travellers who use the train. The vital point lifts in the fact that while it is leisurely proceeding, there is a dorna suburban.' train waiting at the Hayward siding to pass, and every lost by the up train means that much time lost to the city man, who must reach town by nine o'clock. Atj Lower Hutt Petone about tjuG passengers join, the train, which is due at Lambton Station, at 8.58. .Of late it has frequently arrived, at five minutes past nine. If Mr. Millar arranged- for the trains to pass at Lower Hutt, he would then be making full use of the duplicate line, which haa cost so much money, for if the mail .train, were late, tho suburban' could proceed instead of, as at present, rusticating at Haywards. is a rise of nearly 100 feet in the £o?en miles between Lower Huit and Haywards, and even the most , ignorant of toymen Wowa that Millar's traina v fall down 100 feet faster ! they can fall up. And, apart from that suburban train, it xeaOy does not /natter how long it takes the Wairarapa ftnn.il to oKml> to'the Summit. It can always make up time by falling down trom there to Feathertson. Does our Minister for Railways ever pause to M.mV what it means for 600 men to be ftve rainniAfl late at their offices? ' It I means 50 hoars of lost time, which, at i the low estimate of Is. 6d. an hour, amounts to £3-15s. par day, or £22 10s. per week. And is Mr. Millar prepared ■ to pay this billP—l am, l ' ' 1 COJSDENSER. ■