RAILWAY REFORM.

Wanganui Chronicle, Issue 12881, 7 April 1913, Page 4

RAILWAY REFORM.

QUESTION Or CONNECTIONS WITH MAIL.XIIAJLNS. \ CHANCE FOR AVANGANIJI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. (From our Travelling Reporter.) MARTON, April 5. : In addition to the suggestions offere-; in Saturday's "Chronicle" respecting urgent reforms .in the MartonWanganui tramway service, there is aso another important feature that, should be presented to the Prime Minister while" he is al Wanganui, if the Chamber of Commerce is, anxious to do its best for the -town it claims to he catering for, and that is, the muchdesired connections with the • Main. Trunk expresses. There is absolutely no reasonable excuse for delaying the ceparture of the train that leaves Wangan&i at 9.37 so "that It must miss a connection with the Auckland express passing through Marten for Wellington afc about 11 o'clock. Passengers for Wellington have either to kick their heels at Marton Junction for two hours, if they? go down by the 7.0 train, or else wait for the New Plymouth express. Then there is the wearier " Weary Willie" that lea.yes Marton. at about a quarter past tfour in the afternoon. Why could it not be kept back for another 20 minutes -or half an hour to bring passengers from Wellington, Palirerston, etc., to Wangamii, who arrive by the Auckland mail at about a, ijuarteY to five? These passengers are obliged to wait >at Marton until about 7.o'clock, reaching Wanganui at nine, v?hen they might easily reach their dcs- j tination at 7.30. There is no earthly { reason why "W reary Willie" should be despatch 20 minutes before the mail arrives, and then compelled to lie up cjj; Turakiaia for 25 minutes. If there is reform warted badly in any part o- the New Zealand railway service, it is required on the Marton-Wanganui eervice, which, despite big developments Is admitted not to have altered for 30 odd years. The Chamber of Commerce have a text here for a good sermon. I'romises for reform have apparently been made at times, but fo far relief has iKver been given. I have travelled np and down the line scores of time, but I have noticed the departmental officers always travel by the expresses; '•'Weary Willie" and "Wearier Willie" are tabooed. Time apparently means something to them. So it does to huu-d-eds of others who cannot always fit -the timo in to travel by the one fast : t»ain,in the day's programme. - Mr Massey has a golden opportunity tf impress upon departmental officers that, the first change in a time table covering a period of thirty years is vrgently desirable in the interests of the most important town in the North Island next-tt> the two cities.: