NORTH SUBURBAN SERVICE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18679, 8 April 1924, Page 5

NORTH SUBURBAN SERVICE.

Sir, After Thursday night's exhibition of railway mismanagement, I have come to the conclusion that the sooner the Minister for Railways makes a change and gives the railway officials a chance of using their brains, the better it will be for all parties concerned, particularly the travelling public. The slip which occurred at the Parnell tunnel certainly upset the time-table into the city. Admitted. ,In company % with several more north suburban sufferers, I journeyed by tram to Mt. Eden station and after a long wait a train arrived from town. We managed to squeeze aboard, and all went %ell until New Lynn was reached, when the guard came through and said As far as we go, please." About 30 people were dumped out on the platform, while the empty train proceeded back to' town to add to the congestion there. ? After . a wait of nearly an hour another train from town, arrived, and we eventually reached Henderson at 7.43 p.m. (I don't know if the Swanson people have arrived yet). Had the local officials been allowed to use their brains as in any* private business concern they could "have established a service between Mt. Eden and Swanson, notified people waiting at the Auckland station that they could get trains at. Mt. Eden, and by that means have run a regular and proper service on the north suburban line. It would have given the Auckland to Newmarket line a better chance to get cleared and would have enabled the south suburban trains to run more frequently. I suppose the fact that the train that stopped at New Lynn being on the printed time-table to go to New Lynn only precluded any attempt on. the part of the local officials to run it any further. There is an old story of a i native booking clerk at a small station 500 miles from Calcutta, wiring to head quarters, "Tiger eating stationmaster ; [wire instructions." This applies to the I New Zealand railways, and unless the local officials wire to headquarters grid "await instructions" the tiger of waste time and general muddle will still continue to feed upon thci unfortunate travelling public. When shall we be free of the curse of red tape ! F. Moaaxii, Henderson.