OVERCROWDING TRAINS.

Evening Post, Volume XLI, Issue 76, 1 April 1891, Page 2

OVERCROWDING TRAINS.

That there should be Eome overorowJing and discomfort in railway travelling at holiday times is, perhaps, only to be expected, but Btill there are limits which the publio have a right to complain of being exceeded The limit of toloranoe is passed when the safety of the travelling publio is endangered, and there can be no doubt that the Manawatu trains have of lato been dangerously overcrowded. Indeed, on this latter line such a state of things is almost chronic, and by no means confined to holiday trains. Passengers are habitually huddled together like sheep, and tho platforms and steps are used to the utmost extent for the "accommodation " of passengers, in order to save the haulago of an extra carriage or two. UnleßS there is a ohange of system some terrible aooident will be euro to occur, and if life is loßt through insufficient oarriage aooommodation compelling people to sit or stand on the platforms, those responsible for the diaoßter will probably have some difficulty in convincing a Coroner's Jury that they are not guilty of manslaughter. Eoonomy of management is all very well, but reoklesß disregard of the safety of passengers cannot be too severely oensured. Thiß disregard of tho publio becomes more intolerable when, as frequently happens, the same train whioh has some scores of passengers hanging on precariously to tho platforms inoludes one or more carriages marked " ressrved," and oooupied by one or two Ministers or Commissioners or Directors, who appear oonveniently blind to the faot that the vacant space in their oarriage is urgently required by women and ohildron standing on tbe other part (of tho train. Many and bitter are the roraarks passed on Buoh oooasions The management of both the Manawatu and Government lines will do well to look to their practice in this matter. They have had frequent and ample warnings, and they will be held Eeveroly reponsible if, aa is almost certain to be the case unloss a ohange is made, some serious catastrophe results. The authorities habitually force travellers, much to their own discomfort, to violate the by-laws, which forbid passengers standing or sitting on the platform. If an accident ooours from people being foroed to break the law owing to sufficient oarriage accommodation not being provided, the company or the Commissioners will find that their notioes about not being responsible will avail very little to protect them from the oivil law or their prinoipal employe's from the oriminal law.