THE RAILWAY SERVICE

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1715, 11 January 1905, Page 78 (Supplement)

THE RAILWAY SERVICE

COMPLAINTS FROM THE COUNTRY. FEELING AT PALMERSTON. (From Our Special Correspondent.) PALMERSTON, December 31. The alterations to the railway timetable which came into vogue on November Ist, have been the subject of many serious complaints from the business men of Palmerston and Feilding The dissatisfaotion is not confined to these two places, but is expressed in ail the smaller townships intermediate between Palmerston and Halcombe. One leading merchant summed the matter up very fitly when he said: —“In business, time is the essence of the oontract, and owing to these alterations much valuable time is lost. Mails are delayed, orders are rendered tardy of execution, the covering of much ground with little expenditure of time is more difficult.’^ Recognising the necessity of making some attempt to induce the authorities to reconsider the position, the Feilding Chamber of Commerce recently entered a strong protest. The Palmerston Chamber lias endorsed the movement,

with the result that Mr Lethbridge, M.H.R- for Oroua, will wait upon the Minister of Railways to urge that the train which at present is run from Paikakariki, arriving at Palmerston at 11 a.m., may be run through from Wellington, arriving at its present destination at the same hour, and thence forward to Wanganui. “Under the existing order of things,” said Mr James Nash, president of the Palmerston Chamber of Commerce, to a “New Zealand Times” reporter, “We do not receive our mails till nearly 2 p.m. The early portion of the after' noon being our busiest time, we are practically unable to reply in time for the express mail, which closes at 3 p.m. Much as we are inconvenienced, however, we do not suffer so severely as business men in Feilding, Greatford, and Halcombe. For many years past there has been an agitation in those districts for an early train, such as is at present suggested, so that it would be possible for business-men as far north as Halcombe to answer their Wellington mail by the south express. Though there is a late mail from Palmerston at 4.30, our northern friends have no such luxury. This inconvenience would be obviated were an early train run right through from Wellington. There is another important reason why a change in this direction should be made, and one which should appeal most forcibly to city merchants. Business men who leave on a flying trip to Wellington by the afternoon’s express cannot rearrive in Palmerston before six minutes to one on the following day. This means that by the time one has lunched the best part of the day is gone. Were the early train run, then the time lost would be considerably less. A man would always rather catch a train at 6.30 a.m. than one at nine o’clock if he knew that urgent work was awaiting him, especially if he was desirous of returning to liis office in the morning.” Mr Nash, after several other observations in the same strain, expressed the opinion that the Wellington and Ma.nawatu Railway Company had always tried to meet the country people, and he had little douht that once the matter was properly placed before it it would rectify the present inconvenience. The company’s policy in the past had always been the greatest good for the greatest number, and he had little doubt the settlers and business people of the country towns would receive as much consideration once the matter was properly before the company as the handful of globe - trotters who were reaping the benefit of the recent alterations. For many years past it had been felt that 7 o’clock was too early an hour for leaving Wellington, but for business men 9 o’clock, the hour at which the express now sets out, is far too late. By the addition of the early train both the merchant and, the pleasure-seeker could be accommodated. Many commercial travellers have pointed out that if the proposal is adopted by the authorities they would be greatly facilitated. Leaving Wellington by the early morning train two hours could be spent in Palmerston before the arrival of the express, by oatching which an hour could be devoted to business calls in Feilding, returning to Palmerston by the south express. Another hour could be snatched at Palmerston, and after four hours in the two towns the traveller could return to Wellington by the 5 o’clock train.

A visit to several of tlie leading houses in Palmerston provided me with the information that under the existing timetable considerable difficulty is experienced in making prompt despatch of orders which come to hand by the south mail. These are now placed in the manager’s hands after his return from lunch, and it is generally close upon 3 o’clock before the various departments are busied upon them. It appears that in order that consignments may be railed away by the early morning’s goods train on the following day the goods must be at the railway sheds by 2 p.m. of the preceding day. Naturally the prompt execution of orders arriving- from the south is rendered very difficult, and considerable dissatisfaction is the result. Indignation has been very generally expressed -in these districts that the maroh of prosperity which they have of late enjoyed should be threatened for the sake of globe-trotters. It is widely felt that the oountry districts, which, after all, are the mainstay of the colony, should be entitled to a fair share of consideration. There is a strong sense of confidence here that the authorities will in this case, as they have always done in the past, give the desire of the districts as expressed by the Feilding and Palmerston Chambers of Commerce the full and urgent consideration that necessity demands.