THE RAILWAYS AND LABOUR DAY.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19000, 24 October 1923, Page 8

THE RAILWAYS AND LABOUR DAY.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir, — I wonder if those who are responsible for the railway arrangements during our most recent holiday will ever realise that the railways belong to the people, and should be administered for tho benefit of the people? We have been waiting since tho Armistice for a return to pre-war transport services, and apparently will go on waiting until the crack of doom unless there is a radical change in the management. In your issue of today we are informed that the express trains on' Saturday were running late because of the large number of passengers wishing to travel. I was one of these, and on making inquiries on Friday afternoon as to tho arrangements for Saturday was told that only one express was to leave Dunedin for the north,—at 11.15 a.m. Further, no holiday excursion tickets for the north would be issued on Saturday, but they would be available for Oamaru on Monday. Apparently the only people to get a concession at tins holiday are the racegoers, Now, Sir, in view of the large number who were able to-get away from business so as to be able to travel on Saturday, would it net have been a sane policy to run two expresses that day instead of one with two engines? It stands to reason that a large proportion of those who travelled on Saturday forenoon could, if facilities had been available, have joined a train earlier in the day. To give my own experience. I left Dunedin at 8.10 a.m. on Saturday and arrived at Oamaru at 1.35. As I had to return to Dunedin by Monday afternoon I wa.3 compelled to leave Oamaru at 7.40 a.m. that day, arriving in Dunedin at 1.13 p.m. My point is that had two expresses been running on these days I would have been able to reach Oamaru more than two hours earlier and thus have arrived before the places of business were closed for the week, and then I would not have caused ray friends the inconvenience of getting up so early on Monday, as the first express would have brought me back to Dunedin in ample time for my requirements. But I was compelled to spend almost six hours each way in travelling some 70 odd miles —nearly 12 hours of a one-day holiday! Who is to blame for such a state of affairs? I have asked members of the railway staff if they can enlighten mo, and the only answer is discouraging. Wc have the everincreasing competition ct motor traffic and experience has shown that in regard to rates and speed the railways are being left behind. If our railways are even to hold the position they now occupy some drastic changes in policy will have ”to bo made, and 1 would „ 0 so far as to suggest that the Government should cither get business men to run them or sell them and allow private enterprise to have a chance. Some years the Welling-ton-Manawatu Railway Company run its trains from Wellington to Longburn with clock-like regularity and always paid a dividend, and the public on that line had excellent service. Ask the residents of that part oi the country if they have had the same service since the Government took over the Manawatu line, and as more than one has said; “They used to swear by the company but now they swear at the Government ” And I am afraid our Railways Department is the direct cause of an endless amount of profanity in the country. I trust that steps will be taken by those in authority to enable residents to see a little more of our beautiful country reasonable facilities for which are at present denied them. —I am, etc., J ’ K ’ October 23.