CORRESPONDENCE

Grey River Argus, 23 June 1925, Page 7

CORRESPONDENCE

' OTIRA LINE SIGNALLING DEFECTS. (To the Editor). Sir, — I have been looking for some complaints in your valuable journal anent tin- hold.up of trains on the Otira line, through the failure of the electric signals. I believe* we all recognise that Mr Coates has endc-avour-ed to give a better service on the rail, pvays to the general public, but, to a | layman, the necessity of laying down ( all tin* expensive gear relative to elec. i trie 1 , signals in order to dispense* with a tablet porter or two eloes not. look .much like* a business proposition. In tact, it would have* been more* econo. ini ally sound to have* doubled the i tablet porters eni the line : ; .nd to have* {given (hem double the* wages they were receiving. The'* cost, would he much less than that of th<* interest bill which has accrued through lh<‘ cost ol« erection of the plant. Meireover, the inainl••nane-? cost is going io In- far more* thaii the system e?f iab_ let jiorteus. Aly reas.)n in wilting is to ask our worthy Member, Air J O’Brien, to investigate* the position lor himself, and also to protest against the* hold.up of the traffic, aid especially ihe passenger traffic. In my opinion (he electrical instaliation is too intricate. Certainly their signal is safe*—if anything goes '.vrung it always shows ied. Yet it naturally will not popularise* the railways when trains are held up at a s'ritior. for about two and a half hours, and will have an inclination to make people stay at home instead of utilising the lailways and making the.’ii; a paying proposition. 1 am etc., ELECTOR.