LYTTELTON-CHRISTCHURCH LINE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7878, 19 January 1903, Page 2

LYTTELTON-CHRISTCHURCH LINE.

TO THE EDITWI. Sir,— You hava done meHhe honour t* allude to a letter recently written by me to a contemporary paper, on the subject oi railway passenger accommodation. May I ask you to extend your courtesy to the extent of allowing me to say, through .you* _^ columns, that, although i.mj_ previous letteigtfM was certainly written under tEe irritatibn^^^B caused by a more- than usually crowde^^^H train, and after having my feet trampled^^H upon by passengers endeavouring to ni "|^^H standing room mr the gangway of the ** l^^^| called "first-class" smoking carriage, yef^^H upon deliberation, I am not prepared t<^^^| withdraw a word from my complfcint^^M which, please observe} was directed uguifrsH^H the accommodation provided for smokers'. ■P With reference to the Temarks of the Aus± M tralian visitor, 1 can only say that if he T stated that the frowsy old rattle-trap which I has don© duty as a lirst-class smoking car- I riage for so maixy years on the Lytteltoa- 1 Ohristchurch line, compares more than. far; f vourably witli the systems of the various / Federal' States, his politeness must have ex- / ceeded his truthfuhiess. Let mo add, voj' fairness to the Railway Department, that', by a curious coincidence (for I cannot sup- • pose that my letter had anything to dp with it), wo have now a comfortable, clean, . and altogether up-to-date smoking carriage - • on the line from Lyttelton. In conclusion, will you allow me to say that I cordially . agree* with you as to other manifest evils. * For instance, why do the railway authorities persistently ignore the object-lessons to bo- seen every morning in the crowds of people travelling on a sixpenny return fare to Sumner and New Brighton. Lyttelton ; has greater attractions than/either of those plages, and. it is only the folly of , charging prohibitive fares which prevents' Lyt- . telton- from being a popular resort. Ori .'.■ again, could not the annoyance and discom-r fort.caused*by the use of sulphurous coal jri the tunnel be mitigated, or entirely done «.waywith, by the use of coke or some other fuel during rhe few minutes that the train is in' the tunnel? Or, once. again, axe not. 'bicyclists deserving ■of some recognition ? The present arrangement is to throw all bicycles into a heap at the Christcburch Station, with the result that when an owner . lias to retrieve his machine from the bottom or middle of the mass, the heap is stirred up into a sort of gigantic "spilikins," entailing a vast amount of patiehep and' self-control to extricate the machine,, not to speak of the damage .which result*, from this barbarous system. — I am, etc., ;.. . • W... GUISE BRITTAJI*