THE TABLET SYSTEM.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 14209, 4 November 1909, Page 6

THE TABLET SYSTEM.

DANGERS OF EXCHANGING.

[BY TELEGKAriI. —SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.}

Wellington, Wednesday.

The Minister for Railways was asked to-day by Mr. Massey whether in view of the number of fatal accidents that have occurred in changing tablets by hand, he will give instructions to have mechanical appliances for the purpose installed at all the stations where changing is necessary. The Minister made the following reply: — Automatic tablet exchangers have already been erected at all the main line stations on the Hurunui-Bluff and Wellington-Auckland railway lines, and the equipment of the other stations with the appliances for automatically exchanging tablets is being pushed forward as rapidly as possible. Necessarily the main lines on which the fast trains are running have received first attention. On other lines where automatic exchangers have not been provided, a specific instruction is in operation that the speed of trains when exchanging tablets is not to exceed 15 miles per hour. During the seven years that have expired since the installation •of the tablet system was first commenced millions of exchanges have been made, but only two fatal accidents have occurred. In both instances the accidents appear to have resulted from inadvertence on the part of the men who were exchanging the tablets." Mr, Massey said that he had seen the exchanges being made as the trains were rushing through stations at the rate of about 15 miles an hour, and it struck him as a most dangerous operation. He suggested that where it was not possible to provide mechanical apparatus the speed in going through stations'should be reduced to 10 miles an hour.

Mr. Witty said that it was not fair to the men to "ask them to exchange the tablets by hand while trains were travelling at the present speed.