RAILWAY TRAVEL

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26198, 8 July 1946, Page 2

RAILWAY TRAVEL

Sir,—Recently, when travelling from Christchurch and upon reaching Oamaru, I had cause to notice the unhygienic way the cars were swept out. A little later on the journey I was the victim of a throat irritation which later developed into a severe cold. When travelling in a railway car one is practically in an inhalation chamber; therefore, cars should be sprayed with a suitable disinfectant, especially before being swept out. As the germ of the common cold has recently been located in dust, the travelling public has a right to expect proper care being taken to neutralise this danger. Picture theatres are disinfected, so why not railway cars?—l am, etc., Dunedin, July 31 Old Colonial.

[The district railways traffic manager, to whom this complaint was referred, stated that opportunity was taken while through express trains were at Oamaru to have them swept at a time when most of the passengers were in the dining room, and thus clean up the carriage floors of the papers, chocolate wrappers, fruit skins, etc., which collected there between Christchurch and Oamaru. Every effort was made to avoid raising dust. When the train reached its destination the carriages were thoroughly cleaned and disinfected, but it was not possible to do this at such a stop as Oamaru while some passengers and allthe passengers’ luggage, etc., were still in the train.—Ed. O.D.T.]