Wairarapa Standard Published Tri-weekly, Price 1d. MONDAY, APRIL 13, 1885. The Train Arrangements.

Wairarapa Standard, Volume XVIII, Issue 1688, 13 April 1885, Page 2

Wairarapa Standard Published Tri-weekly, Price Id. MONDAY, APRIL 13, 1885. The Train Arrangements.

Some time back when noticing the agitation by some of the Masterton people to have the hour for the departure of the afternoon train from Masterton to Wellington altered till later in the evening, we felt inclined, at the first blush of the proposal, to say something in its favor. But we discover, on making further enquiry, that there is another side to the question, according to the views of many of the Lower Valley settlers, so we will put the case in both of its. aspects. The chief argument in favor of having the afternoon train leave Masterton at a later hour than at present, is this :—Visitors and commercial men from Wellington who come out to Masterton by the morning train, have very little time either to look about them, or to transact business, before the train starts again on the return journey. The contention, therefore, is, that if the train did not leave Masterton till 4.30, such persons would be afforded a reasonable space of time eitherfor a ramble about Masterton and its surroundings, or to make business calls. It however remains to be said that by ordinary morning trains, at the usual fares, there are not a very large number of visitors to the Wairarapa from Wellington who desire to return to town the same day. The travellers for pleasure mostly avail themselves of the special excursion trains, when cheap fares are charged, and a special time table can be observed. Then, people coming from Wellington to Masterton to do business might stay over the night and thus have the whole afternoon of their arrival to do their work. But the main question to be considered is Does the present time table meet the wishes of the great majority of the Wairarapa settlers ? At present the afternoon train leaves Masterton at 2.10 p.m. and Carterton, Woodside, and Featherston, proportionately later, arriving in Wellington about 7 p.m. This arrangement does very well for the great majority of the Wairarapa settlers, and thosein the Lower Valley are quite content with it. A passenger from the Wairarapa, reaching Wellington at 7 o’clock, is in quite sufficient time to make an evening call on a friend ; to go to the theatre, or to visit any of the other public amusements. If the train left Mastertou at 4.30 it would not reach Wellington till about 9.30, when all chance of travellers going anywhere that nightsave to bed—would be at an end. From what we can learn, the present train arrangements are considered satisfactory by the majority of the Wairarapa settlers. If a settler goes to Wellington by the morning train, he reaches there soon after 12, noon, has time to get dinner, transact business, and return by the afternoon train at 4 25. If he leaves the Wairarapa by the afternoon train, he can spend a pleasant evening in Wellington, ’sleep there, transact business during the whole of the next day, and then return home by the 4.25 train. It is the business men and the commercial travellers who come out to Masterton from Wellington by the morning train, and want to get back thejsame afternoon, who don’t like to be hurried away at 210 p.m., before they have been able to do the work they wanted to do. On due reflection, we are, however, of opinion that the convenience of those gentlemen is a very small affair, as compared with that of the majority of the Wairarapa settlers. As to those people who visit Masterton for pleasure, meaning to return the samo day, they are not very numerous, save when cheaper faros and excursion trains are being offered to the public, in which case the arrangements and time table should be of such a kind as to meet the convenience and comfort of the excursionists. After all, there is something in the Masterton agitation for an alteration of the railway time table, which does not appear on the surface. The Masterton newspapers affect to be tremendously in earnest in their efforts to have a change effected, and pretend that their sole motive is a regard for the interest and convenience of the settlers. That latter assertion isjsimply bosh. The present time table suits the bulk of the settlers well, enough, but a later hour for the departure of the afternoon train from Masterton, would be a very great convenience to our contemporaries in that township, in the more speedy distribution of their papers. Nine-tenths of this agitation is founded in “ shop ” and selfinterest.