SUBURBAN TRAINS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 14807, 10 October 1911, Page 8

SUBURBAN TRAINS.

THE DEPARTMENT'S POSITION. ' [BT TELEGRAPH. —SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.] I Wellington, Monday. I Interesting remarks on suburban rail-? way services were made by the Hon. J. A!' Millar to-day, in reply to a deputation i of residents in the district-between Wei-: lington and Paekakariki, on the • Mana--1 watu line. The Minister asked the depu- ; tation to look jat "the matter from , the 1 point of view of the Railway Department. There were £31,000,000 pi the country's money: invested in the system, and he %as receiving .constant- demands for reduced fares and freight* on , the > one hand, arid increased travelling facilities on "the ether, while above all the employees were conI stantly asking ; for higher pay. ; : : If ; the ; revenue was to Ibe ; ; reduced, and ■■ the expenditure increased, he would like /.to? know how interest was to be paid. Vlt would not be gain to make it up by taxation, because those who used the service Ought to pay for it. The suburban area had originally been fixed ct 2d miles, -and he had never reduced it, but he was faced f with the position that all the smaller centres throughout the Dominion were asking for the same facilities as were granted to the four chief centres. The people who went out of town to live, did so for their own convenience, and they could not reasonably expoct a train service to suit their particular needs as soon as they had settled down. Ha wanted to make money for the railways, and was ■ not in a position to throw it away. >» He was considering the whole question of suburban f services, with a view to ascertaining the exact cost. In any„case,inobody i could say there was anything like 1 congestion, even in ■ the four centres, and ; that' was ? what the bar ban system was designed to relieve. He thought that people who asked for an improved service should have enough confidence in its success to 'guarantee the Department\against loss.