THE MAIL TRAIN.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLII, Issue XLII, 3 May 1923, Page 4

THE MAIL TRAIN.

(To the Editor.) j Sir, —I had hoped for some definite 1 information as to why the members ot 1 Hawe.ra Chamber of Commerce axe ; frantically endeavouring to work theui- < selves and the populace into a. frenzy < over the new railway time-table, but as they do not seem disposed to voluntarily explain we can do little else than hazard a guess. Referring first of all to your footnote to my letter of April 23, I was in a quandary as to whether your statement —that "Hawera people will only be satisfied by an extra tram being put on, to start from Stratford and run ahead of the mail train'' —was a matter for amusement or annoyance. If Mr. List has a short memory (as Mr. Murdoch states he has), he is not alone in his misfortune. 1l is but a few short months since you informed me in the columns of the Star that the only way by which +^c mail train iould be sr>eeded up was uy putting on jxtra trains, a procedure which was jconomically impossible, as neither the present nor prospective traffic would justify or warrant it. I am with you n the opinion expressed in the latter part of the sentence; but why the change? Has the economic position altered? On the assumption that the people between Stratford and Hawera are possessed of the average weight of "grey matter," there would seem' to be no element of doubt that they would not travel by the proposed additional tram while another "followed some minutes later which would cover the same distance in less time. Admittedly the fifteen (I shall give you an allowance of thirty) school pupils coming to Hawera might find it an advantage, but the revenue from these per year would be less than the expenditure by the Railway Department per day. Added to that, I believe I am riglil in saying that no accommodation exists at Stratford for a train to start from there. Pupils attending New Plymouth will get to school at 10.45; those coming to Hawera will reach school by 10.15; where, then lies the cause for complaint—there or here? According to the report, Mr. McCarthy mentioned at the Chamber of Commerce meeting that by the new arrangement the 4.30 train from Hawera to New Plymouth "would be killed." He might- have added that, failing some change, it ia only a matter of time when the entire railway service will be killed, by motors. Within twelve months we have seen one motor service from Hawera to" New Plymouth extended to three, and the similar service to Wangamii doubled. The fact points the moral. People do not travel by road because it is cheaper or more comfortable, but primarily because it is faster. It is a long period since tramway systems discarded the principle or practice of stopping at the wave of a handkerchief or the raisx Sn °/. ai* umbrella;- and, at the risk of offending our country friends, I contend it is time the railway authorities discarded their slightly elaborated equivalent. After extended "research" the Department has come to a conclusion as to the extent of the improvement that can bo accomplished and how it can be done. Mr.* Murdoch is almost converted to tl? ■ departmental view, but. by a process of reasoning too subtle for my perception, he holds that since we cannot have the tree we should refuse to accept the fruit. His pencd of public service would have been seriously curtailed had he advocated, for instance, that not a mile of tar macadam should be laid in Hawera county because the council was not in a position to complete every highway and byway therein. Yet seemingly there would have been nothing illogical m such an argument from him. ■Presumably he is overlooking that the support of the Palmerston North and W anganui Chambers of Commerce was promised to a request for the earlier arrival of the express in Wellington, and not to his protest against a later start from New Plymouth; the latter matter was not brought before them and they are unlikely to feel themselves concerned in it. Nor should it concern us whether New Plymouth people he in bed or mow the" lawns prior to travelling. The sympathy extended to the residents of Ball Road district seems to me so much superficial humbug—a much greater percentage oi railway passengers, coming from the Mam Trunk line to Taranaki, have in accordance with the time-table to spend five hours at Marton waiting for the express, yet I have never heard of any hysterical outburst on that account, nor that passengers from here to the Wairarapa have to spend two hours at Palmerston. The more one studies the agitation the more foolish and artificial it becomes.—l am, etc 1 „ TRAVELLER. Hawera, April 28. [In his keenness to be thankful that the people of New Plymouth are to save fifty minutes, and other towns along he line a shorter time, on the journey to Wellington, and neglecting the fact that the "progressive jnove: is at the expense of many hundreds of people who live at stations between -the towns, "Traveller" seeks to prove that the Star has been inconsistent. If he had gone through all that has been written by us in the last four years, during which the question has been frequently brought forward, he would be unable to find any divergence from the attitude which we take up now. The reply to which "Traveller" refers was contained in a footnote to a letter on May 31j 1921 (nearly two years ago), in which the following sentences appeared: We all desire much better services, but we cannot possibly get them unless and until the country provides the means. In the meantime it is manifestly unfair for any one town to seek to gam advantages at the expense of other towns. . . Cutting out a few of the Btopping places appears to be an easy way out,*but to do that more trams would have to be run and there is neither sufficient staff nor rollingstock to enable that to be done; and more important still, there is not suffil cienfr passenger traffic to make extra trams pay were they put on. We can see httle hope of satisfactory services until the country undertakes extensive and expensive alterations of the whole system." *That was in 1921. -On September 28, 1920, a deputation from the Taranaki (New Plymouth) Chamber ot Commerce waited upon the Hawera Chamber to urge support of its proposal that the mail train should leave New Plymouth at 9 a.m., but be preceded by a train stopping at all stations between New Plymouth and Hawera. The deputation consisted of Messrs T. C. List (president), E. P Webster, and P. E. Stainton. The stopping-places for the mail train were to be Lepoerton, Inglewood, Stratford, JUtham, Hawera, Mokoia. and Patea, so far as Taranaki was concerned. Mr. List made this important statement on that occasion: "It would be impossible to start the mail train any earlier than 9 o'clock if they were to provide for the small stations." "One of the N.P Deputation" wrote to the editor of the Star a few «>avs later m reply to a critic: "It has been rel peatedly^stated that in any reorganisation of the Taranaki train services havmer as its object the acceleration of the mail tram, the slow train now leaving New Plymouth at 7.43 a.m. must precede the mail train in order to feather passengers from the smaller stations for the mail train; . . The present provincial nervines am toollo n -~~v.~,._1.

0 a go-ahead province lite ours, andi hould be altered." Then we have a ecent statement by the Minister of tailways. Speaking to a Taranaki de>utiou in Wellington on September 28, .922, the Minister (the Hon. D. H. Juthrie) said that "he could not pronise an immediate improvement in the nail service, as the cutting out of Btops involved improved local services, which the Department was unable to provideat present, but when the Department, could cut off one hour it would do so." On the same occasion the president of " the Taranaki (New Plymouth) Chamber of Commerce said that "they could not; understand why the mail train was. used as a local train between Wellington and Palmerston. Small stops, should be. cut out, including some in. Taranaki, which could be covered bylocal trains." We all know that the* new time-table has not made provision* fox the people of the wayside stationssouth of Stratford, and can the Taranaki Chamber of Commerce or the Department explain why, in the face of the statements we have quoted, proper attention has not been naid to the needs of South Taranaki?* We do not oppose the speeding up of the mail train, but we do oppose the cutting out of stopping places and not making the local trains serve the district so that, people at the smaller places are put to a minimum, instead of a maximum, of inconvenienec. That attitude is not humbug, but one of fairolay to the people of the whole province. The new time-table saves the people of Hawera half-an-hourV for which travellers would he thankful if it did not nut other people at smaller stations to greater inconvenience than they have to put up withaast s present. We can see no> reason why, while accepting the speeding up, the people of South Taranaki - should not hold the Minister of Railways to his statement that "the cutting out of stops involved improved local services." We think that the district should urge that the local services should be improved urgently.—Ed.] RATING ON UNIMPROVED VALUES*. (To the Editor.) Sir, —In Tuesday's issue of the Hawera Star I noticed a letter on thaabove question over the signature of Mr. C. E. McGuinness. As a fewpoints raised by Mr. McGuinness seen* to call for an answer, with your permission, Mr. Editor, and also believing that Mr. McGuinness will view my reply in the spirit that it is intended,, that of throwing more light on this important question, I would like to make the following comments.... In his-, letter your .correspondent has repeated an assertion go often made by supporters of rating on capital values,, that taxation under the present system will fall heaviest on those most able* to stand it; but even if that were so y which I deny, we should not bury all sense ot justice. To .-.'illustrate my meaning I will describe the case of a . young man well known to me. When the great war started he was only 24 years of age, but had a wife and two children, and had lately purchased a rough and blackberry infested farm of 82 acres, in Taranaki County. But he thought it his duty to offer his services - and succeeded in" getting away with the ninth reinforcements, only returning when the war was over, afterspending 3£ years at the front. 0»t his return he found his farm almost a solid mass of blackberry. But although suffering from the effects of gas and a badly-broken bone, he did not apply for a pension, but at once set to work, to clear the weeds and timber off his. - farm, and during all the years since he returned he has only taken three days off, the result pf his labours being- to clear and plough 70 acres of ~ ground, or the whole of his farm except 12 acres. Consequently, when the Taranaki county was recently revalued,. the capital value of his farm, was increased by no less than 125 per cent. This young man suffers so much from gas and other injuries received at the • , front that he often faints while at his work. Yet, according to many of the supporters of rating on capital values, : he is the man best able to bear the,- , heaviest burden of taxation. Butfor-^ tunately the majority of ratepayers in ; the Taranaki county hold different- . views, and adhere to the system ot rat-'----ing on unimproved values! Thus this . 1 returned soldier will, get a square deal, and he will at least nay no more rates [ than others who had a good time and neglected their farms, j^our corre- • spondent further, points out that the« ; dairy factories will pay less if the- [ system of rating is changed In theEltham county, but I cannot believet that any harm will come of that, aa - , practically all farmers hold shares in and supply the factory in their dis- ( tnct. Therefore, ,if they pay a little* more in rates.they will receive a little s better payment for butter-fat. Your correspondent, amongst other questions j asks if the system of rating on capital values has ever stopped land specula- . tion or the nurchase of'highly improved or other farm lands at very high prices.. IMy answer is decidedly no. On -the.-------1 other hand it has encouraged speculateissg. and has not prevented the purchasing of highly unproved farms by : men without sufficient capital, with , the result that there are now many on highly improved farms who have the greatest difficulty in paying: their way, and no doubt these men would welcome a change to rating on unimproved values. It- is not generally the^ man on a highly improved farm whois the rich man and able to bear theheaviest burden. Your correspondent uen g?es on to say that Stratford changed over 25 years ago, and wants: to know if that has prevented personafrom changing their place of abode, from that earthly paradise to places, with more ancient forms of ratine systems. My renly is that .people i» the North Island are constantly shifts ing from place to place. Eltham has a decided advantage over Stratford in the matter of a better climate andr more fertile soil, but nevertheless the population of Stratford town and distract combined is increasing faster tham Eltham. But if we want to make comparisons we might as well go into the Taranaki county, which changed to the system of rating on unimproved values? about ten yeara ago, but it has not. prevented both town and district from progressing by leaps and bounds, although the soil in comparison with Eltham is very poor. It would not beout of place to quote here the remark* made by Mr. Connett. chairman of thfr Taranaki County Council, as reported I? , c Budget, when addressing the-valuer-General at a meeting of ratepayers held at New Plymouth recently, * vis.: "The fact that the unimproved* value has been adopted by the Stateas a basis for taxation, and also largely adopted by Tocat bodies for rating purposes, goes to prove that the principle* is sound, the contention being that it. is in the best interest of both Stateand the individual that he be encouraged to improve his property in every possible way, and the* best way of doing this is to exempt those improvements from taxation." In conclusion I may add that Taranaki, Inglewood,. Mid Stratford counties have now adopted rating on unimproved values, and F think it is up to Eltham to fall in line.—l am, etc., _ \ . HA. WOOD. Kawßitiroa, May 1.