SOLDIERS AND TRAINS

NZ Truth, Issue 555, 5 February 1916, Page 2

SOLDIERS AND TRAINS

» - ..- Another Deplorable Accident Is there No Remedy ? Crying Need for Improvement. V Since the war broke out and Trentham Camp was established as the training ground of New Zealand's Ex-, peditibnary Forces there has been 'a lamentably large number of fatal railway accidents to soldiers on the 18 miles or so of line which separates the camp site from Wellington. On Friday evening last shortly after the 11.45 p.m. troop train from- Wellington to Trentham had left Belmont, yet another of these terrible accidents occurred, as reported m the daily press. Private G. E. Aitchison, whowas returning from leave to the camp, is stated to have- accidentally fallen from the platform of one of the carriages and sustained such fearful injuries that death must have been both' merciful and instantaneous. Deceased was a member of- the 12th Reinforcements and HAILED FROM DUNJ3DIN. The alarming frequency of these accidents is such as to prompt most people to wonder if there is any reason or cause for them; and, if so, at whose door does the blame lie. At' the pre-sent-time, this paper believes that certain correspondence is passing between the Defence authorities and the ■Railway people, on, the matter, and m the meantime "Truth" has made cer- : tain inquiries on its own account. As a result this paper has arrived at the conclusion that the Railway Department can hardly be held responsh I ble for any accidents that have occur- ! red. It is a remarkable thing that m i every - instance of serious accident to a soldier, it has happened while 'he was "on leave." The Railway Department has had the handling of at least 60,000 % troops while they were under military, control- and no harm or accident has resulted to one of them. It would appear that when our highspirited young soldiers 'obtain "leave" and throw off the of times irksome shackles of military routine and discipline, their relief is such as to make them oblivious to the danger of TAKING UNNECESSARY RISKS when train travelling. "Truth" had the force of this assertion very vividly brought home to it one evening this week as a troop train from Trentham steamed m to" Xambton station. It was certainly a very close afternoon, and perhaps that is why the platforms of the, cars were crowded chock-a-block with khaki-clad humanity; but surely, there was no excuse, for certain dare-devil and adventure-lov-ing young men to ride balanced pn the couplain chains, between the cars. «or •on the' side boards and even perched precariously on the- roofs! This Is foolhardiness carried to extremes, and Who can wonder that accidents occur? Accidents. will happen under normal circumstances — this saying has become a truism — but when practices like this are indulged In the wonder is v ' that they do not happen more frequently than m tho past. , If this sort of thing goes on during the journey from camp, goodness ' only knows. what takes place on the night Journey back to Trentham, when a certain number of the boys have been studying astronomy through the bottom of a) tumbler. The beautifully optimistic glow that is generally believed to fill the souls of those who. have Imbibed, must lead them on to \leeds of even greater daring than those enumerated above. "Truth" does not for a moment wish it to be understood that by tho above .it means that these accidents have only happened to men who have been 'under "the influence of drink, Far from it. Indeed, for all this paper knows, the special Providence which guards Inebriates may have been . working overtime on THE NIGHT TROOP TRAINS TO TRENTHAM. And the unfortunate youths who have met such awful and untimely deaths may have been, strict teetotallers; of which there is a surprisingly large number amongst our forces. Hardly any blame can be accounted to the train accommodation provided for the men, when all things are taken into consideration. It is true that the soldiers have to do moat of their travelling m vans, whloh are not quite>so comfortable us tho ordinary cars — but this paper is given to understand that this is due to shortage of rolling stock. When the war broke out these cars were then decided on as being quickly constructed, 1 and provided a speedy way out of ii : dilemma. And anyway, except If ono | indulges In exhibitions of the giddy ox . variety, most people would guarantee I to take care of themselves well enough | to- keep on tho right side of them — which is the inside. Theso special ears arc substantial covered m affairs, 'but their weakness theso hot days seems to be a lack of sulllcient windows to suit the BoldieiH. They are thus debarred from adequately drinking m the lovely sights and smells ot Pt»tone the Pure, Ngahauranga the N'lfly, and Kalwarra tho Kute, and find a way (an unsafe way) out of the dUllculty by keeping the doors wide open. There aro two sliding doors m each side of a car, and perhaps the need of ventilation theno sweltering days demand that they bo kopt open. If this is conceded, could n.it Rome Inventive genius m the Railway Department devise a simply constructed and easily detuchuble wlrt» door arrangement, which would be sufficient to prevent certain daring spirits from tempting Providence? The above only refers to thews special cars, however, ' When there are uixy avullable the troops also travel In the ordinary passenger cars with t»io no-called observation platform m thi* entrouce <U each end. The. way these platformH.aro rushed and crowded by the soldiers must be »«cn to bti railIsod, and the men pay not the Hllghte«t attention to appeals und exhortn- . tlon.s from the train stuff. In thiH eawe "Truth" m of the opinion that tho remedy lies at the hands or tho Military authorities. Two suKKCHtlon.s present thomst'lvcH to uh. One 1« that a loul should -.be tuken from the Now South Wale«! book, In tltut country tho railway carriage door* lire ulw«y« locked . between Btutions; but we hardly llk« the Idea of soldiers being treated In thla cavalier fauhlon. Un though they were a pack of -school-kids. A far belter way would be for the enmp authodiloa u> appoint a train .'picket. compoKOvl of steady reliable chtt p*», who.so duty It would be to curb tho 'KXOKSHIVK KXUmCHAXCK OP . AMATKI-R UI.ONDINB. ■'• Tin; train picket would require' to mount, hi least two nun to «k:lj cur, und with a troop train of 20 con< thin would I'lUuil l Hi*- tolling off of -JO men to ».«ac:h train, for Hilh duty, Thin is a bll of an tytdcruiklnjr. no doubt, but It ni-OKOnt.s no husuperul'ilo dltticiiUtaH, •i ml. If it ■jjri'vrnti* any ruoro of shorn? fatulitlfrt from JiuppenliiK it i« worth iho tlrniv trouble nml t'c»n^ld«i'tttlon of the Military Heads. W0 ..- believe the BUfrgestlon . haa hamx nmdfl before re the postlnjf of this train picket, but It would appear that when onco tlif men stro privet) leuvi* the camp authorities wa*h their' hand* o(