UNPOPULAR PROPOSAL

Hawera Star, Volume LIV, 25 July 1935, Page 4

UNPOPULAR PROPOSAL

Hawera Railway Timetable Alteration Strenuously Opposed SIXTY CHILDREN AFFECTED SOUTHERN AFTERNOON LINK The Railway Department has a proposal on loot to make an altqrtiOii in the time-table of tiie iNew Wy* moutn-Wanganun. express, at present leaving Hawera for the south at 3.44 p.rn. Tjie alteration, if. carried into effect, means that the train, would leave Hawera at 3.4 p.m., and it is nemg strenuously opposed by South Taranaki residents, tlie contention being that it would not be in. the best interests of the district. As the tiam runs at present, it is a popular means of transport, and the claim has been made that should the time of departure be put forward it would result in a considerable loss of revenue. Not only would business people be seriously inconvenienced by the change, but approximately 6Q school children would be faced with loss of time at the High School, or, as an alternative, being unable to reach their homes until nearly 8 o’clock at nightIt was learned yesterday that the matter at present is only in its exploratory stages as far as the Railway Department is concerned, and nothing definite has (been decided. The matter has been .before the Hawera Chamber of Commerce, and by that body the Department was informed that- the business people of the town strenuously opposed any alteration in the present time-table. Should the time of departure be altered, the only alternative to leaving Hawera for south would be the goods train departing from here at 6 p.m., and at the present time that train does not carry a passenger car. From enquiries made at the railway station yesterday, it was learned that it was unknown whether the Department would add a carriage to the train or not. . . Yesterday afternoon the opinions of various interests who would he affected were sought by the “Star,” and in every case the proposal. was looked upon in an unfavourable light, the contention being that the. change would be the means of inflicting unnecessary hardship on the business and farming community.

‘‘ADVANTAGES NEBULOUS.’ ’ “The advantages to be gained by the alteration in the time-table appear to he absolutely nebulous,” said Mr J. Dash, M.A., principal of the Hawera Technical High School. “Further, it will result in a considerable loss of revenue to the Railway Department, for, although the school children’s fares are paid by only a book entry, they are still part of the grant from the Education Department and are credited to the Railway Department.” At the present time, Mr Dash said, the southern pupils arrived at school off an early train in the morning and left the school in the afternoon at 3.25 o’clock. This enabled them to reach their homes at P’atea at 5 p.m. and resultantly earlier at intermediate stations. As it was, the train pupils lost 20 minutes of .school time through early departure, and if threequarters of an hour was added to this by the proposed alteration it would mean that the children affected would lose all of one period and half of another. This early departure would have an adverse effect on all the children and would disorganise the work of the whole school. “It would seriously interfere with the education of the train children,” he said, “and would retard the advancement of the others by having to hold them back.” There was no other suitable train and the alternative was a goods train leaving at 6 p.m., which would mean that the Patea. children would not arrive home until 8 p.m. He did not think the parents would stand for that procedure. Consequently the roll would be affected.

The number of children using the train are as follows: P'atea 27, Kakaramea one, Ball Road five-, Manutahi 10, Mokoia. six, Whareroa six; total, 55.

NEED NO LONGER! EXISTS. “If the application was one sent to the Railway Department some years ago by the Chamber, of Commerce with the object of making a. connection with the Limited express for Auckland at Marton, that need now no longer exists,” sand /Mr E. Dixon, when asked the views of the businessmen on the subject. “T.he Taranaki people now use the Stratford-Main Trunk service for Auckland, and it is doubtful whether the other line is used by them to any extent. When an application was made the Stratford line was not completed and the idea was to leave Taranaki in the afternoon and obviate the necessity for spending half a day in Marton. The matter had been .before the Chamber of Commerce, where it met with such opposition that Mr Dixon thought the matter had been dropped. “Hawera. people going to New Plymouth on business by the early train find the time in that town short enough as it is without curtailing it by thjree-quarters of an Lour,” he said. Apart from that there were the southern people to be thought of. Their stay in Hawera would be shortened by a similar .period, which Avould not only be antagonistic to their interests, but also to the interests of the business people in Hawera.

THE MAYOR'S OPINION. “One has to consider the advantages and also the disadvantages of the proposal without any knowledge of how many people would desire to make the connection at Marton with the Main Trunk express for Wellington,” said the Mayor of Hawera. (Mr J. E. Campbell). “It is impossible to assess the advantages on this score, and in any case I understand that were the new time-table approved, a traveller desiring to be in Wellington in the early morning would require to stay over-night in Marton or Palmerston North. That is, in order to connect with the Auckland Limited leaving Marton at a very early hour in the morning.

“Oti the other hand, people who wish to do business in Hawera, would have their time considerably limited,” Mr CampbelL continued. “There is also a large number of school children who take advantage of the train service and they will be seriously handicapped. “Except that , one could leave Hawera at 3 p.m. and arrived in Wellington by the Limited the next morning, there does not appear to be anything gained,” he said. He further considered that people wishing to do business in Taranaki towns would be seriously inconvenienced. “If the afternoon connection between Wanganui and Marton was delayed for a period long enough to allow the present time-taible of the ‘Flyer’ to Temain in operation, it should meet the needs of those who require any alteration,” said Mr Campbell. “A better solution, however, would be to reinstate the night express from Taranaki to Wellington. “It seems to me that the disadvantages greatly outweigh the probable advantages and that South Taranaki as a whole should strenuously oppose any alteration along the lines indicated.”

TIME CURTAILED ALREADY. “It would be a fearful thing if children attending the High School had to remain away from home until 8 o’clock each might,” said Mr A. Cqleman, as a member of the Chamber of Commerce and the High School Board of Managers. “Yet, unless the children’s time at school is curtailed to a drastic extent, this appears to be the only possible alternative.” Mr Coleman said the Government liad “sunk” £20,000 in the High School and now they were going to jeopardise its very existence by practically forcing nearly sixty children to remain away* from the institution. The fuitheir disadvantages which would accrue would affect not only the train pupils, but also the whole school by a disarrangement of the present organisation. The farming community would also feel the effects of the change adversely. As it was at present, the farmers were able to use the train to come to Hawera, interview a stock dealer, the bank, attend a sale, etc., and return home in time for milking. Under the proposed alteration, Mr Coleman said they would either have to return by the late train or leave Hawera at 3 o’clock with only half their business completed. The alternative was that they would probably stay at home. “I cannot, possibly see any reason tor making the alteration,” he said.

“REASON SEEMS OBSCURE.”

“The proposal has no advantages and has nothing to commend it,” said Mr E. K. Cameron, president of the Hawera Chamber of Commerce. The reason for bringing the matter forward seemed to be rather obscure, and in his opinion, it was not a wise move on the part of the department. The farming community from the south would be handicapped to the extent that their stay in Hawera and other towns would be curtailed by threequarters of an hour, and they could ill afford to lose th'aTtime on a business visit. The present time of departure from Hawera was not too late to enable a farmer to reach his home in time for milking. “The service as at present arranged has proved to be a popular one, and the department has acknowledged it from time to time, and I cannot see why they want to alter it,” he said. • As far as the time of arrival at Wanganui was concerned, Mr Cameron considered 6 p.m. to be a very convenient . hour, and a traveller would not know what to do with the extra time the new timetable would give him. As far las services south of Wanganui were concerned, they did not enter into the situation at all, because the Taranaki-Main Trunk connection was now through 'Stratford. “I think it is a move in the wrong direction,” Mr Cameron concluded.

“NO DEMAND FOR CHANGE.” “I am amazed that the proposal •should be brought forward at. all,” said Mr B. C. Bennett. He considered the alteration was not in the interests of either the department or the public. “It is hard enough to get what we do want, without having to fight a proposal not wanted by anyone,”. Mr Bennett continued. He said it would affect adversely the farming community, the business people, and when taken' all round, ft must be obvious to the department that no one wanted tho timetable altered. “When it Is considered thaU the children are vitally concerned that should be sufficient, he said.