RAILWAY MATTERS.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLI, Issue 9509, 9 May 1911, Page 4

RAILWAY MATTERS.

The.repeated, refusal of :the; Railway Department: to do the obvious in connection with :the lighting of the Terrace End railway station draws attention to a point-,th.at' has hitherto not been touched upon: the disgracefully inadequate state of the present buildings which have done duty since Palmerston was iiv'its infancy/and are by a supineDepartment to serve until. burnt :down; or some other Jate overtakes • tlieny. -Terrace End has. become •a-;populoiis; suburb; hundreds of railway from there never go near.the xentralstation ill Palmerstori, but ontrain at; Terrace End, and it is full time they were provided with decent facilities. The present sheds,, replicas of those at flag stations, have been the sleeping places of tramps for years; they are .dirty and vermin-infested and generally in such a state that travellers, men as well as women, prefer to face the weather rather than shelter in them whilst waiting for their trains. Representation should certainly be made to the Department by both the Chamber of Commerce and the Borough Council as to the urgent necessity for providing, suitable" and sanitary buildings. In deciding last night to seek the co-operation of tho Borough Council in a further reiteration of the request for lighting facilities.at Terrace End railway station, the Chamber of Com-, merce took a step that will commend itself to everyone. As was pointed out at tho meeting,- by Mr Robt.- Gardner, the Department will probably Wait till a tragedy has occurred and will then seek to place the blame upon everyone's shoulders but its own. As already sitajted (residents of Terrace End use the local station for'all their needs in connection' with East and West Coast trains, whilst at race times racegoers returning home either from the West or East Coast change trains there. At night this is done in absolute darkness save the light from the adjacent street lamps, and the Department, presumably owing to the paltry annual charge of about £3 for the light, steadfastly refuses to provide it. It is time energetic action was taken in the matter and the authorities forced to recognise their responsibilities.

The Department has also refused the application for the appointment of a stationmaster at Rangiotu, the flimsy excuse being offered that "the business transacted at the station does not warrant the expense." Our knowledge of the district warrants us in stating that Rangiotu. has good grounds for the application, but since 'the Department has for a long time past been working the railways • for the sole purpose of showing a big profit and neglecting the interests of the users who are unduly taxed to make that profit, the only hope settlers have of better treatment Js in bringing about a change of government.