Greymouth Evening Star. AND BRUNNERTON ADVOCATE. SATURDAY, AUGUST 9th., 1930. RESIDENTS—OR TOURISTS?

Greymouth Evening Star, 9 August 1930, Page 6

Greymouth Evening Star. AND BRUNNERTON ADVOCATE. SATURDAY, AUGUST 9th., 1930. RESIDENTS—OR TOURISTS?

gHOULD the Midland railway, or the Grey-Reefton and Westland .sections, lie run for the benefit of the Waiho Gorge Hotel, or to suit the convenietiee of Westland district residents ? Is it the main object when arranging the railway timetables tn bring-the most, patronage io a private concern, or to prounotp the interests of Westland, generally ? Is the understandable desire, of iMr. P. Graham to make his hotel easier to reach, to be more considered by a State enterprise than the welfare of all the permanent residents of Westland? Is the whole railway service to be reorganised in order that motor-traffic may be encouraged between Otira and Waiho ? These and similar questions now face Westland people, and there should be no doubt about their reply.

Audacity should have its limits, and should not be, permitted to succeed through public apathy. It is stated by a Christchurch contemporary that Dlr. Graham desires “that visitors for Wdiho should leave the express at Otira and make the rest of the trip by service-car the same day, necessitating in this case an earlier departure of the train from Christchurch. For the return, they would travel from Waiho to Otira before boarding the train. Mr. Graham went to Wellington last week to put his plan before flic Minister for Railways (the Hon. AV. A. Veitch) / the assistant manager (Mr. M. Dennehy), the general manager of the Tourist Department (Air. C. H. Clinkard), and other Government, officials. The Minister. Mr. Dennehy and Air. Clinkard. were all favourably impressed. and although they cannot promise immediately the necessary change in the railway limetable, the proposal is to be 1 idly and sympathetically invest igated.” Vote, that not a word is said nbonl consulting the people on the ('oast, whose con ven hUiee is to be butchered to make a tourists holid;iv. and to increase the profits ol

*1 |>|-I\* a | e on terpi* ise. N o won (It i the (;reyinouth Chamber ol ('unimerce, yesterday, decided to protest against this Departmental swav bv those, whose main object is private pleasure. This is not the first time that Coast interests have been ignored by Hie Railways Department. whose idea of courtesy to

this district seems to require revision. Full consultation should be demanded by all Westland local bodies and commercial interests be-

fore the present timetable is tampered with. Country visitors to Greymouth should not have to rush ( over their business and scamper to j get the return trains, -solely because a few tourists wish to rush through Westland. Mr. O’Brien and Mr. Holland would render good service to their respective constituencies, by asking in the House, if. it is the policy of the Minister of Railways to give undue consideration to the prosperity of private concerns. Mr. Graham has the right to be enteiprising in his own interests, but not at the public expense. If he wishes to rush tourists to the Glacier, let him supply the necessary service, leaving the people’s railways to serve the people.