21

I.—6a.

L. A. MARGAN.;

16. Mr. Witty.] If there had been an island platform there would it have averted the accident ? —That is a very wide question. The accident occurred before the train reached the platform, but 1 say that had an island platform been there better facilities would have prevailed whereby tlie accident may have been averted. 17. But seeing that the island platform would have been beyond the tank, how could it have averted it !-■ 1 take it that had the tank been beyond that the points would still have been beyond the tank, and that the train would take water from both sides. 18. You arc not sure it would have averted the accident? —No, but it would have helped to prevent it. lit. Are there many tickets issued to passengers at that station?-—Yes, a considerable number. 1 should say there would be an average of about a hundred daily. 20. How many would there be likely to lie on the train at the time of the accident?—l am not in a position to state the exact number of tickets that would be issued, but 1 should say there would lie between twenty and thirty tickets issued that morning. On Mondays the residents purchase their weekly tickets. 21. Therefore the passengers on the platform would not be getting tickets every day?— No. 22. And they generally get their tickets on a Monday? —Yes. 23. Do tlie workmen reside at New Lynn or conn' to New Lynn to work? —The workmen come to New Lynn, but wo have a fair number of workers in Now Lynn. Wo have a population of something like fifteen hundred, but previously we only had a population of five hundred. We had twelve to fifteen trains daily, but now we have something like thirty-two inward and outward trains per day. 24. New Lynn has grown and is likely to grow?— Yes. 25. You staled thai you had heard men in the station ask if the points were locked and the reply they got was, " I do not know ; ask So-and-so " ?- Yes. 26. How many men arc there at the station?— There is one man stationed at New Lynn Station, and when the incoming train arrives they have, 1 think, two men on each train, a guard and his assistant, and I think the man at the station looks to one of those two to see that the points are locked. Sometimes he may have lo go and lock them himself. 1 have seen the men running backwards and forwards perhaps a couple of hundred yards away and then rushing to the tablet. 27. Have you heard this question raised many times as to whether the points are shut? — Yes, I have heard them often ask. " Arc those points locked? " 28. You are a member of the Town Board? —Yes. 29. Do you not think if you heard that remark often that you should have communicated with tho Department to show there was something wrong?— Yes, I do think so. 30. Did you do it?—Yos, we did it only as far back as the Itli March, and the accident happened on the 28th of May. We have no desire to rush to the Department and point out these matters time after time, and get a reply that the Department is looking into it. 31. If there was a danger it was your duty to have done it?- We have done it. 32. Even supposing you had to do it over and over again ? —We have done it on several occasions. We kept reminding them from time to time, and I think at the last meeting of the Town Board there was another resolution passed placing the matter before the Department and pointing out that nothing had been done even at the last meeting. 33. You stated that the people were expecting this accident, or was it the officials who were expecting tho accident ? —Yes. I do not know whether the Railway officials were expecting it, but they did not do anything to obviate it. 34. But ! mean tlie men working on the railway there?— The people of New Lynn expected it and also the travelling public. On one occasion I myself witnessed a very narrow escape from a similar accident to that which happened that morning. One train had run round practically right into another train, and they were just a few yards off colliding. Possibly the Department heard nothing about it. 35. I think you said there was no one in authority at the station?—l say there did not appear to be any authority. There appeared to be no discipline or authority. 36. Is not the tablet porter in authority at the station? —The tablet porter, I believe, is in authority; but the point 1 wish to emphasize is that the tablet porter is, if anything, in a lower grade than the guard of the train. I have heard the remark passed, " We arc to use our own discretion, and we are not bound to take our orders from him." 37. Then you do not know of your own knowledge whether tlie tablet porter is in charge of the station or not? —Yes; I know the tablet porter is supposed to be in charge of the station. 38. Then, in that case, the assistants on the train that conies along are under him?—l could not say. 39. They would have to do as he told them?—l could not say. 40. If they did not obey his instructions it would be his duty to write to headquarters?— Yes. I should say so. 41. Was there a foe/ on the date of the accident? —Yes, there was on the morning of the accident, and the rails were very greasy. I live very close to the station. 42. Was it a dense fog?—lt was fairly thick; but New Lynn is a queer place—a fog is thick in one place and possibly not in another. New Lynn is in a valley and the fog drifts along in patches. It may bo thick in one place and 100 yards away it will not be so thick. 43. How would it be possible to avoid shunting on tho main lino when another train is duo or a train crossing—it is only a single line? —Yes. Under the present circumstances it would be impossible to shunt without going on to the main line. The station is so congested at times that it is impossible to shunt without going on to the main line.