RAILWAY FACILITIES.

Manawatu Standard, Volume 9160, Issue 9160, 9 March 1910, Page 5

RAILWAY FACILITIES.

HON. J. MILLAR INTERVIEWED.

VARIOUS REQUESTS,

PALMERSTON STATION TO BE CONSIDERABLY ENLARGED.

NO ALTERATION IN WAIRARAPA CONNECTIONS. IMPORTANT CHANGES IN STOCK CARRIAGE. A. large deputation assembled at tho Borough Council Chambers just after noon to-day to meet tho Hon. J. A. Millar, Minister for Railways, in reference to various railway matters, whicli have been agitating the minds of business men in this district for some time past. The Mayor and some of the members of the Chamber of Commerce met Mr Millar at the station, and Mr D. Buick, M.P., met and welcomed him at 'he Council Chambers. There were present: The Mayor (in the chair), Crs. Voss (Kairanga C.C.), H. Palmer and W. McKenzie (Borough Council), Messrs Wallace. Procce, L. Collinson, T. R. Hodder and G. Hirsch (Chamber of Commerce), M A. Eliott (Hide, Skin and Woolbuyere' Association), L. Seifert, R. T. Bell, E. L. Broad and Liggins (Flaxmillers' Association), and R. S. Abraham (Auctioneer.;' Association). Mr R. S. Abraham was the firstspeaker and said he had been asked by tho Auctioneers' Association and farmers on both sides of the range to point out that the present inter-Coast arrangements were very unsuitable. Mastcrton could not communicate with Palmerston North till one o'clock, and as the stock sales were at 11.30 they were practically over when East Coast dealers arrived. \lr Abraham said he had assisted in getting the original communication between tho coasts, which had worked very well, and which paid the Department handsomely. He was at Mastcrton one day last week, and left there at seven o'clock, arriving hero after one —over six hours on route. There was a stop at Eketahuna of one hour and twenty minutes, and if that train was expedited by the cutting out of the long stop at Eketahuna, and thus meeting the Waipukurau train at Woodvillc it would suit admirably. That train could then be brought on as previously, and Mr Abraham was sure the Wairarapa people would welcome tho change. Speaking of

the Waikato stock trains, Mr Abraham suggested that night trains should be run, and this would lessen tho time en route. One gentleman had told him that his stock had taken four days to reach a station near Auckland. Mr Abraham. reverting to Wairarapa s needs, said there was a big trade in sheep springing up between the two coasts, and ho thought better facilities should be granted. The Mayor said there were a number of business people present who could tell Mr Millar that their trade had considerably fallen since the alteration i;i the East Coast service. , Mr M. A. Eliott. of the Woolbiiycrs Association, brought before Mr Millar the necessity of a rebate on wool returned to inland towns for scouring. The position was that a bale of wool was sent to Wellington, where it was sold to scourers, who returned it to inland towns, tre»ted it, and then returned it j_o the seaboard for export. This meant that the Department got three, railages in place of one. while the industry provided employment for a great number ot men in New Zealand. The Mayor pointed out that Mr Millar had stated coming from the station that the requests asked for in reference to the enlargement of the parcels office, booking office, and ticket office had been granted so that those speakers who had been set down for bringing such matters under the Minister's notice would not need to

The Minister briefly stated that it had been decided to extend booking hours at the station to sis o'clock every evening except Saturday; that large addition* were to be made to the station, and that extra ticket windows were to be provided. Mr Hodder, who had bo«n asked to speak of the parcels accommodation while thanking the .Minister hoped that the alterations would be sufficient, He enoke of the impossibility of doing W Satthe pokey little parcels counter. Ctoc end would be blocked up by bicycles and then the narrow passage would be blocked by people, whose remarks were not ahvavs publishable. From a health point of'view Mr Hodder made.rather lenthino- reference to the way the cleiks were compelled to work, and declared that if private employers were caugnt working their men under such conditions thev would be sent to Wanganui gaol. He" considered the conditions a disgrw.ee. The clerks were very civil in Giro" 1 ? out. their duties under the circums ,a/ices. The speaker hoped, in the cause of namanity, something would bo done shortly. Or Palmer said hie function was to draw attention to the want to ticket windows But he understood that re<]u<;« had been granted. He told an lnciJent of the great overcrowding which nvd come under his notice at the ticket window recently, and said that tho gone.».l public would feel delighted to hear .f the change. The ticket office also appeared

, to be understaffed at times, snd '.here '. were occasions when three men needed i to bo on duty and only one wis f here. Mr R. T. Bell, on behalf of the Jbli.x- ---" millers' Association, spoko of < v i 3 serious l menace to flax from the spancs of the 1 locomotives. Along tho railways or the 5 Manawatu there were 20,000 ucres tv fibre, worth £20 per acre. Thw arcit I kept 30 strippers going; tou.) s lens of fibre; and gave a rcv;nio u< r £6000 to the railways. One spx:k oi '.ne

- engine could destroy those 20,000 acres 3 of flax, and that would not be nvai.able - r-crain for from five to seven yeare, ami t. would put between five and six Imnriied • m.-ii out of work. e Mr Liggins gave instances of the con- ■, tinual recurrences of fires. He had re- ; cently lost a stripper and shed and had s to be continually putting fires out. A e good many could Le stopped entirely if it the Department took action. When tho d Manawatu Company had tho railway

they assitted with the fires, but the Government had not been so carefuL A spark or ashes blown on tho side ot the line at Makerua would destroy from 80 to 100 tons of flax in on fell sweep. Mr L. Seifcrt drew attention to the shortage of covers for trucks and the expense suffered by millers through wet hemp. . Mr Broad pointed to the great inconvenience suffered through having to send for trucks to Paekakariki and to Otalu for covers. THE MINISTER REPLIES.

In reply. Mr Millar took the questions raised seriatim. "At the present, moment," he said, "I have just as much trouble with that train (Wairarapa) as I wish for. A desire was expressed and granted for* early communication between the two' Coasts, but ever since Hawke'e Bay had been agitating for a reversion i<, the old system. They did not want the early train to start from Palmerston. and were agitating for it to start at the same time from Woodville, so that it could reach Napier earlier, and thus give the Napier people the advantage of trade. That is No. 1 complaint. Then the Southern Wairarapa people want the early morning train to stay as it is. It now leaves Cross's Creek about six. That suits themsplondidly. It would need to leave at about 4.45 to get to Palmerston in time to suit the stock dealers. The South Wairarapa settlers would probably object to getting up at 3 o'clock in the morning to travel by that train. To put an extra train on for the benefit of stock dealers would cost £11 000 per annum, and would probably return £1000. There is no justification for such expenditure as that Mr Millar said he would inquire into 1h» other matter mentioned by -M r \braham—tliat of attempting to_ make the train in question connect with the Wninukiir.'iu train at Wcodville. Ho h.id giciit difficulty in suiting everybody.

Palmereton, Napier, and Masterton were all endeavouring to draw as much trade as possible to their towns. Hence the Minister was having a pretty lively time. After April let the Minister stated the expresses would return to the original time-tables, which seemed to suit the majority. ' '~ ~ , Another matter raised by Mr Abraham —that of Main Trunk stock—needed very careful consideration, and Mr Millar promised to study the matter, and probably would have a distributing centre for trucks, etc., either at Feilding or Palmerston. Mr Eliott's request was next dealt with. The Minister said he had asked for data in connection with the amount of scoured wool re-railed from the ports and had received no answer. Ho said that such neglect did not merit serious consideration of the requests. Mr Eliott said he had never received or seen any letter asking forujata. Mr Millar promised to forward a copy, and stated further that a dangerous precedent would be established in such a rebate, and it would require very careful consideration.

As to the railway station, Mr Millar was rather hurt at Mr Hodder's remarks, and contended that the railway servants were as well looked after as they could be. He promised that the alterations would be sufficient for present requirements. There would be a long addition 20ft wide running the whole length of the station buildings on the Main street frontage, while the alley way between the stationmastcr'sroom and the booking office would be filled up. There would be extra ticket windows, but these would only bo used on certain occasions, while the parcels office. as already stated, would be open till six o'clock. As to the fires in flax areas. the Minister said the Department did its best. It had the most up-to-date spark arrester in the world on all its engines, and he . felt the owners of lands could do more than they were doing by providing fire-proof areas between the railway and their flax. He was surprised to learn about the shortage of covers and trucks, and would have the matter remedied.

Mr Buick thanked the Minister for his attention, and the company adjourned to the Grand Hotel for lunch.