SUBURBAN TRAINS.

Evening Post, Volume LXXIII, Issue 129, 1 June 1907, Page 5

SUBURBAN TRAINS.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir, — P t e management of ths suburban iraicE — I think it is high time seme enquiry was made concerning the cause of tha doliy of so m:ny trains lately. I balieve the mismanagement is caused by bad roiling stock, oe by inefficient officials. Last Saturday week the early train from lac HVtt was aboul en hour late, last nighs the 5.13 express from Wellington was forty minutes laic, aid | this morning tho early train from tho Kutt was forty minutes late. Unless seme cction is taken to improve matters or enquiry is made, the passengers will have_ to psLition tho Government iegardmg tho train service. As you have ventilated many a grievance, vc shall ho greatly obliged if you will help U3 in this matter. Thanking you in anticipation. — I am, etc., FULL UP. Wellington, 28th May. [The P.ailway Depsrlmeni states that tho referred to in 9ar correspondence were quite unavoidable, and it dc-linos, therefore, to t-iko any blams fcr^ the occur.-cn^e. The deby which took place last Saturday v.eek was, the department scys, caused by the breakdown of a goods tram near Xgarau-rar-ga, tho train bsing held there until tha obstacle was removed. On 27th May a van attached to the Wairarsp?. 4.7 p.m. train wr.s derailed, and tho 5.13 train for tho Kutt was, consequently, unable to reach its tjc;tlnalicn on time. The dsky on iho foilovdng moi'aing was, the de3jr.li.ment states, owing to ths rsiis being greasy through the salt spray bbwn ":i them, and also to the fact that tho train had a very heavy wind to contend v. r i<h. The authorities claim that the time kept on the Lower Hutt sC2tiorris most satisfactory, delays only occur: ing through unforeseen circumstances ; they also claim that the roiling stock in inu firsirdass cond'it'on, and that the percentage of bieakdjwns and derailments is unusually small Departmental luauinss :irc held in all tho rr.ses i<*fi-mtl U- Vy "Full T"p." A return \^2ach tli3 dcpsitmcnt hag fur. nl'.hcd to us ahows fast betvien l«i May and 18th Miy the trair timed to leivc tho Hutt at 8 35 a.m. and arii\c at Wellington stt 8 53 r.m. w.ts late only once, tlic deby bring disc to tl-c brrjking down of iiuofhsr tv-ain. The tr iv timed to le-ivc Wellington for the Hatt ,-t 5.13 was twice late in denting between Ist May and 18th May, viz., two minatcs on the 14th and! one minuta on the 16th ; and it reacted the Il.ttt 1-ita four times during tifpt pciiod, viz., SAO on the 9th, 14th, and 15th, and 5.37 on the 16th.]

In 1903 (according to tha Australian Statistician, Mr. Coghlan, there were carried in the Common ntalth 253,709,000 leUeis and postcards, 99,C8D,C00 newspaper*, and 44,314,000 packets. Per hta'l of the population in Aubtralla c^nd New Zealand tberc vrere delivered 67 le-ttera, 29 no-.rspap.Hf, and 13 pallets. Only in tyro countries, the United Kingdom ard the Aigentino Ecpubli:, v/as the postal busincsi per hcid greater. Aus-tra!a:-ii iend"s by far more tilegram.i per head than any other country, an-1 in 1905 there were despatched in Australia 9,621,000 tekjrTams. In Xe\v Zealand there \\tT2 5,1C9,00p! Only in four countries in the woiid i/j. the milsa^fof telegraph lines greater thin it is iv Austialia and Nc*.v Zealand combiiwct. Me'sr* Macdonald, Wilson, and Co. ad. vcrli*! for private salo a City Corporation le-3"hoM, de-c.-ibed as being suitable for legal firm, merphant, or manufacturers' agent.