THE RAILWAY SERVICE.

Evening Post, Volume XIX, Issue 110, 13 May 1880, Page 2

THE RAILWAY SERVICE.

DEPUTATION TO THE GOVEENMENI THIS DAY. A deputation waited on the Minister foi Public Works this morning to protest against the abolition of Sunday trains to the Uppei Hutt. The deputation consisted of Sir Wm Fitzherbert, Hon. P. A. Buckley, Messrs, H. Bunny, M.H.8., H. Jackson, J. Brown. Cruiksbank, Cotter, Orr, Seager, and Mor gan. Sir William Fitzherbert pointed oul that the abolition of the Sunday trains would have the effect of leaving the congregations at the Upper Hutt without any clergyman, inasmuch as one minister had to do dutj both at the Upper and Lower Hutt, and it would be impossible for him to gc from ono place to another except bj rail. Sir William also remarked that while the Government professed to give great facilities for the public to travel on Saturday, so as to spend Sunday in the country, it would be frustrating this policy in this particular instance, because people who went to the Upper Hutt on Saturday would be unable to return on Sunday. Tho speakei also complained strongly of the capricious manner iv which the time-table was altered from time to time, stating that it prevented people from settling at the Hutt. Mr. Buckley referred to the fact that there were 250 Roman Catholics who would be deprived of the services of their clergyman if the Sunday trains were abolished At present that clergyman contributad £H a year to the railway revenue. He thought it a pity thatministei'3 of religion should not be allowed to travel free on Snndays. Other members of the deputation pointed out that there wero two other religious bodies who would be put to Bimilar inconvenience. It was urged that one engine and staff could be made to do the whole of the work, and under proper management a Sunday train could by that means be made to pay. It waa stated that the railway revenue from tho line between the Upper and Lowei Hutt, from the carriage of &c, amounted to one-third moro than that of the section between the Lower Hutt and Wellington, and it was urged that the settlers in the former district should have a little consideration shown them. The communication by road between the Upper and Lower Hutt was very insecure, and as a matter of fact it waß quite impassable this^morning. As ar instance of individual hardship it was mentioned that a settler had taken the contract to supply the Wellington Hospital wit! milk, under the belief that the then existing service of trains would be continued. Owing to the proposed alteration, however, ht would lose the whole of his profits on thf contract. In reply to the assertion that the Sunday trains did not pay, it was urged thai no efforts were made to make them pay Under the present time-table the train lefj Wellington at 9.40, and did not return tilj 6 o'clock. That was too long an interval, If a train were run out and in in the morning, staying about half an hour at the Upper Hutt, many persons would ba founc to avail themselves of it. The inconvenience of having to take a second ticket at the Lower Hutt was also dwelt upon. The Hon. Mr. Oliver, in reply, said that the policy of the Government was, as far as possible, to run only such trains as were found to be a real convenience to the public, and the proof of the convenience of the train was in the number of persons who travelled by it, and on that, of course, depended the paying charaoter of the trains. It had been found that the Sunday trainß to the Upper Hutt entailed a loss of .£262 13a 4d a year, taking an average train mileage, which he believed to be about the lowest average in the colony. He thought it scarcely justifiable to run a train entailing this loss on the general community for the purpose of supplying congregations with their ministers, or, in fact, encouraging Sunday traffic at all. In fact, the opinion of the community was very much divided on the subject of Sunday trains, and they were not run on the Government lines except in the neighborhood of ports. There waa no other instance in the colony, so far as he was aware, where they were run to a distance of twenty miles from a port. With regard to the remarks of Sir William Fitzherbert as to the frequent alterations in the time-table, and the feeling that there wa3 a vested right in the time-table on the part of settlers so that they might build houses on the faith of existing arrangements being continued, the Government had never recognised any suoh right. The interests of individuals must in every case give way to those of the community. Of course, however, the department did not make alterations wilfully and without reason, but only when demanded by the accommodation of the public or the paying charaoter of the railway. Mr. Buckley denied that the convenience of the public was consulted. The Minister would find that a train was run at 9.30 merely for the convenience of the railway officials at Petoni. The 4.45 train in the afternoon was also altered to 4.25, greatly to the inconvenience of the general pnblic. It was the general impression that the whole time-table had been altered from time to time merely to suit the convenience of the railway officials, and not that of the public. Sir William Fitzherbert entirely endorsed every word Mr. Buckley had said, and added that nine-tenths of the people in the district held the opinion he had just expressed. The settlers were not considered in the matter, and were year by year being considered lesa. They were told in fact to mind their own business — that the railway was not for them. In regard to the paying character of the line, Sir William pointed out that it was handicapped heavily with the expenses entailed by its very bad construction. Moreover, it was not fair to take the receipts and expenditure for a short period and then knock off a train, declaring that it did not pay. He knew of a considerable number of families who were anxious to settle out at the Hutt, but could not do so owiag to the uncertainty and deficiency of the train service. He urged that if reasonable facilities were given, and the lino were wisely managed, it would bo bound to pay splendidly. Mr. Oliver then promised that the whole matter should be considered again. He might say that he did not feel favorably disposed to continuing the Sunday train, because the arguments used by the deputation on that point might be urged with even more force in favor of the extension of Sunday trains in the neighborhood of every large seaport in the colony. The whole question of the time-table over the line fchould, however, be considered, and he must Bay that some of their representations were quite new to him — he did not know that the neighborhood was so badly served by tho time-tables which had been from time to time adopted. He should confer with the Commissioner of Bailways, and see if it were possible to afford better accommodation to the inhabitants of the district, consistently with the general interest, and without loss of revenue. The deputation then thanked the Minister, and retired.