SUBURBAN TRAINS

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 7038, 28 January 1910, Page 9

SUBURBAN TRAINS

BETTER MANAWATU SERA'ICK DEMAND. . TWENTV-MILE RuADIUS TO BE DISOONTLXUKD. Tho requirements of residents in Manawatu suburbs and settlements in Tegard' to railway facilities were brouiglit under the notice of tho Minister for Ilailways, tho Hon. J. A. Millar, .vostnrday, by a deputation hoadod'by Messrs W. H. Field and S. P. Luke, M.P.'s. Mr Field said thrco main requests woro being made. The first, was for n better service up to twenty miles from AA'ellington. People at Paekakariki should be able to roach town in time for business and. yet not liavo to leave their homes at an unreasonable hour. The morning train, should bo accelerated. Then tho 5.25 train in tho evening should, go on as far as Paekakariki. There ■was then the I larger question of establishing a suburban service to Plimmerton. They I wore entitled to this just as much as '.the Upper Hutt people -were. The Government, in the first place, was to blamo for nob purchasing land along the line, ■which could formerly ' have been secured at a fraction of the present cost. In this case tho Government would have been the gainer. Mr Luke said as far *s Jolrnsonvillo and Ta-wa F_l.it wars concerned residents 'were sufferius considerable disability. The first train to town completely shut out; the latter plnoe. From the workers' point of Tiew they dhould facilitate the travollinß to the city of those who were driven out »y the congestion of the city and the high price of land. They would also, like tho extension of tho 5.25 train to Porirua. Ho could never understand wliv the suburban area in the Hutt should be twenty miles, and lo 9» in the. Mnnntratn. Another thing was the necessity for the Train already promised, one leavins town at 12.30. Tb» present 1.20 train was grcatiy

congested by people leaving for the week end or recreation.

Mr "W. H. Bennett said in comparison with suburbs in other centres Manawatu suburban stations wore being penalised in the matter of fare*. As to stations beyond Porirua, it. was the time taken which was the main grievance. - , . . i Mr G. H. Scott emphasised the inconvenience occasioned by tho time taken and delays occasioned. The Minister interjected that it was eo use discussing extension of the twenty-mile radius. Thero would be no suburban rate over ton miles in future. If the twenty-mile radius were given to every town the railway revenue would rapidly decline. It was done to Unper Hutt because of the rifle butts, "but that suburb would have to lose it. . " Another number of tho deputation emphasised tho necessity of preventing the delays m. waiting lor mail trains at Johnsonville. A Ta,wa Flat resident. Mr G. James, said the limitation of ten miles would absolutely block Tawa Flat -which Was eleven miles from tho -city. At present fifteen or twenty ™ el \ '™dt° walk from Tawa Mat to Johnsonvile to catch a train enaWine them to get to work in the city by 8 o 'mt° J. G, HaVkncss, Mayor of Onslow, .specially referred to tho fact ithat the Paekakariki morning train took two hours fivo aninutos to cover the twenty-seven miles. There- should °* a train leaving' Wellington at 12.3 U Idn Snlturck-vs- for men leaving Pit work at 11.45 ot 12 .o'clock. The present 1.20 train was one of the heaviest trains going up the line. THE MINISTER'S KKPLY.

The Minister, 'in reply, said it was impossible to 'have trains to suit evwjbody. In running an early, suburban train-for any distnnoo someone would have (to make an early start. It took a mail train, an ihour and w half to run the -twenty-seven miles from lackaka-l-iki, and the deputation was asking that* •morning-train which liad to stop at ovary station should run at a. higher rate of speed. Even if the train were speeded up a bit it could not do What 'they (asked. The time might be shortened a little. Mr Harkness: Should it not be a pasRonger 'ta'ain? Tlio Minister pointed out that a certain amount of perishable Roods brought to Paekakariki the i>revious evening 'and required at onoo might liavo to.be carried, suoli as oream. Mr Field: \'ou could have a goods train 'as well. The traffic was ndt there for a special passenger train, the Minister rejoined. It was Jolin&onvillo and the stations between 'there and Wellington which provided the traffic. The ordinary week-day traffic from station* beyond was very (small. A deputation.!^: Thero is no encouragement for people to scttlo there. The Minister faid he was not going to run trains to Joso money on them. The whole of tlio country was rural — agricultural land—and aeaeide resorto. It iwould never earry a largo 'fixed population. Ho oould understand gunning extra trains to Orofton and Kandallah, also .to Potone and the lxtwor Hutt, where suburban services oould bo made to pay, Hbut not whore the whole population 'would not amount to 500 people. Ac ffir as a suburban service ior Packnkanki was ooncorned it 'would he a matter for tlio future. As to the suburban fn.ro» and the tiventy-milo radius Napier was now claiming to come within,tho radius, quoting its. eleven nnd a ifjalf miles to, Hasting* against the Mutt. jM.no Auckland, Chriatohurch, lg.nvorcargill, and other places wore cla\aiouring for it. If tliis wore granted jSio effect on the revenue would ho eno-smous. The size of 'the citing in Now Zealand did not warrant 'it. Hero ft man should not require to go twenty miles out. When tlio wholo of the available land_ was built on it would ibe different.' Four Slew Zealand cities would not ■make up lia'f l tho population in Sydney, and hurts four distinct services had to he maintained. The deputation, ho thought, would admit that the Govnrmuont had improved the sorvioo as far 'as the Jolinisonvillo section was concerned. He had given them extra tia'ius and an extra Sunday train. This lattor cost 35s to run and the maximum amount it Iliad earned had been Bs. Ho did not mind a small loss like that, but VHa loss on running a train from Tawsi Flat twos excessive. . He would hke to provide the'facility they required, but he asked thorn—would they do it with their onu money? Yet they asked 'him to do ir with what was practically their own money. Ho was quito 'prepared to provide facilities for travelling from the suburbs- to the city as long as it did not oast too much. It might bo possible to do something in regard to the 12.30 train. Seventy per cent, of -the travelling publioi said Mr Millar, would come under iho twenty-mile radius if it weic mado general. Ho oould not stand vho extension asked for under the circumstances unless Parliament was propaired to place a bum on the Estimates and say it was willing to lose a million pounds a:nd let the general taxpayer shoulder the burden. ' It was a service rendered and those -nho received it Khotild pay for it. If tho only wny of hooping the twenty-mile radius- for the Upper Hutt meant that the concession would have to be given, to other cities then the Upper Hutt would have to 'lose it. 'lt cost 'ss 6d a mile to run a suburban train, and lie would not have a: loss of £3 or £i 'on every trip.