TO THE EDITOR.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 108, 7 May 1912, Page 3

TO THE EDITOR.

Sir,— The Evening Post has been, to my knowledge, for thirty years pre-emin-ently the people's paper in Wellington, and that being 60 I have to a6k your askance for a largo number of suburban workers and rcsidentß who are being ignored and very seriously inconvenienced by the new time-table of traiua. To save space and to make thu position clear, I have to ask you to publish the following petition to the Minißter of Railways, which is being signed by a large number of workers affected: — "Sir,— We, the undersigned employees, working at Kaiwarra and Ngahauranga and living ut Potone and Lower Hutt, respectfully petition and request that you will take bteps to have the train timed to leave Lambton at 5.5 p.m. altered so that it will stop at Kaiwarra and Ngaluiuranga as it has done hitherto. We would rospeetfully direct your attention to the fact that under the now time-table there is no train timed to stop at the abovenamed stations between 4.10 and 5.12 p.m. As a large_ number of the employees ceabo working at 4.30 p.m. during the winter months, this long delay means considerable inconvonienco daily to a largo number of travellers working in these suburbs. Wo trust therefore that you will bo able to see your way clear to grant our request."* This has been rendered necessary becaubo the _ head railway ofßco has been deluged with signed letters of protest before the Ist of May, which have not had even tho courtesy of any reply. The workors do not blame tho now Minister, and do not belie vo ho was cognisant of the proposed alteration, in proot of which they would point to the fact that whuti ho waß appealed to in Aucklaud ro the discontinuance of the 5.25 p.m. tram on the Manawatu lino ho at once wired the head office to continue that train until he had seen into it. Now, I have iirst-hand knowledge of th© methods of working passenger traffic on the railways ut Home, and I 6ay that all trains running to tho suburbs of tho large towns, .Ulusgow, Edinburgh, Manchester, Birmingham, in tho evening, stop at every small station to put down and take up pab6engers, and, as they have to deal with thousands of passengers, instead of our few hundreds, they are run out at intervals of 5 or 10 minutes, and it would be an eye-opener to our officials to witnebs tho hjiecd and eafety with which this largo traffic is handled. If tho head office had made enquiries before sending through the 6.6 p.m. train to Petotie without stopping at Kaiwarra and Ngahauraugu, thoy would havo known that on those plattormb nearly one hundred men had boon kicking their heels for moro than thtrty-fivo minutes. * Thobe were us much entitled to bo taken home promptly as thoso who were responsible for the alteration.— l tan, etc., SUBURBAN WORKER. 2nd MtL»