THE RAILWAYS AND LABOUR DAY.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19002, 26 October 1923, Page 4

THE RAILWAYS AND LABOUR DAY.

TO THE EDITOR Sin.—The explanation tendered by the Railway Department regarding its arrangements tor Labour Lay is not very convincing. Gao express may have been sufficient tor all (lie traffic, offering on Saturday; but 1 contend that tin: conditions wore not sufficient to induce a very much larger volume of traffic. When a general holiday occure, surely it is the duty of the department to give the public every facility tor travelling, and thiswas certainly not ill evidence last Saturday. iN'o doubt some of the trains running were anything but full, though hud excursion fares been available, say, from Saturday instead of only on Monday, 1 have no doubt a much larger number of people would have been induced to travel. And, Sir, that is the chief burden of my complaint. Give tho public sufficient inducement in the way of cheaper fares and the ra.il way.■; will regain some of the popularity they enjoyed before tho war. As things arc at present, they are rapidly becoming a back number. If tourists are to lie attracted by the many natural beauties of our dominion a bettor railway service is essential. Lust summer 1 met some tourists from the Homeland travelling from Queenstown, and on tho train from Kingston to Lumsd tiiey told me they were enchanted with what they had Soon; but the railways, they said, weie enough to drive people away. There was only one thing in their favour, and that was (lie uniform courtesy of (he men running (he trains. People want to be encouraged to travel longer distances; as tilings are now, a man with a family of three or four has to he content with a short journey, and even the so-called excursion fares arc no small obstacle to him.—l am, etc., ,T. K. October 25.