RAILWAY MANAGEMENT.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume IX, Issue 1636, 28 May 1887, Page 2

RAILWAY MANAGEMENT.

We last week referred to complaints received of undue delay in the forwarding of goods bj rail from Patea to Hawera, and pointed ont that goods bad been landed at Patea 70 hours before being delivered at Hawera. The Patea shipping: agent then wrote saying that he trusted similar delays would not occur again. Now, we have before us a consignment note from the Patea agent, dated May 25, for goods that arrived on the 24th, in which the consignees are informed that certain goods " have been consigned by rail." The goods actually reached Hawera by the night train on Friday the 27th. Consequently if delivered at eight o'clock on Saturday morning the goods would have been from Tuesday till Saturday, nearly four days, on the way. We attach no blajae to the Hawera railway people in this matter. But seeing that one could nearly get goods over from Australia to New Zealand, in the timo it now takes to have them sent 18 miles by rail, the sooner some change is made in the system, the officer, the timetable or the management, whichever may be in fault, the better. Before the railway opened, goods landed at Patea on one day were sometimes delivered here on same day, but if not, then the bulk of the goods were usually delivered in Hawera on the next day. It is only reasonable to expect the railway to provide for, at least, an equally prompt service.