SPIES ON THE RAILWAY.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXIX, Issue 10767, 16 May 1911, Page 4

SPIES ON THE RAILWAY.

BETWEEN TIMARU AND DUNEDIN. It seems that two spies—a man and a woman—have lately been travelling on the railway in the south, as well as in the North Island, their object, it is said, being to trap the guards. The man and woman are said to be husband and wife, but they travel in different; carriages, leave the railway stations by different wa!ys, a'lid take separate rooms; in the hotels where'thctf'stay! Tfie' man sometimes, if not always, passes himself off as the advance agent for a theatrical company. What the pair do is to test the guards to se'e whether: they can be "got at" jn tlie matter 6'f issuing tickets. The modus' ojterandi may be gleaned from what' tOoK'place: recently on; the line between Dunediii -and Palmerston South.' 'The,' ' illan .boarded the triin at' Dunedin; taking a ticket for Merton, the presumption being that he knew well there was no aceomtriodatiori there; Merton is a flag • station, and as' this man was the only passenger for it, the guard had to stop the train specially foi; him. ; He'asked the guard if there wis any accommodation there, and' on being toldthere wasnonc, affected great surprise, and said he would have to go on to Palmerston. Ho accordingly got on tha train, again, and on the guard telling 'him : th'at his would require aiiother )ti6ket, tEesmi>n is said to have endeavored the guaiid not to bother jabout- issuing another ticket, hilt to put fhe/'mojiey in his pocket. The guard, however, would liav.e none of this. He issued the ticket, and made tlie man -pay fdr it in the ordinary way. . The man spent a day in Palmerstbri, : and up the Dunback. line, where he went through ar siMilar ' ; performaili^,,b.ut again withoXit trapping,the gjjar t d:- ;His general practice" is to take Vv'ticket 'for a flag station,' aiid then try to oyer-' ride the distance. Railway men are very indignant over the matter. They say that they have [no objection to any straight-out check tliat the Department may choose to put ,on them,, but they do object, most, strongly to being spied upon. They consider that the methods of the spies invite the guards to be dishonest, and while no old or experienced guard is likely to., fall into the tirjtp, it is sible that a, young - and inexporjeiiced guard TOigllt' : give way to temptation put in his way. The spies are said to have passed through Timaru about three weeks ago.