page 41

By Those Who Like Us

His Highness, the Maharaj Rana of Jhalawar, who visited the Dominion recently, wrote to the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, expressing his gratitude for the great kindness and hospitality extended to him throughout his recent tour. He requested the Foreign Secretary to convey to His Excellency and to the Government his appreciation of the transport facilities which were placed at the disposal of himself and party. “In this connection,” he wrote, “I would ask that my special thanks be conveyed to the Railway Commissioners of the several States through which I travelied, for the very excellent arrangements which were made by them for my comfort.”

* * *

Mr. E. McGregor, Secretary of the Morrinsville School Committee took a party of twenty-five school children to the Exhibition at Dunedin. In writing to express his appreciation of the very excellent manner in which all the necessary arrangements for the transportation of the children were carried out by the Railway staff and for the courtesy extended he states:-

I understand that the children from the Morrinsville School made the longest trip undertaken by school children visiting the Exhibition, and I know that many teachers and others thought that the responsibility of conveying school children over 1,200 miles by train and steamer with the attendant transfers from train to train and from train to steamer was too great for them to accept. The arrangements made by your Department, however, were so complete that I did not have a single moment's anxiety as to the children's welfare on the journey and all your officers of every grade with whom we came in contact went out of their way and did more than their duty in order to make matters pleasant for us.

* * *

Dr. W. E. Herbert, District Governor Rotary International, writes in appreciation of the complete and most satisfactory railway arrangements made by Mr. Chapman, District Traffic Manager, at Christchurch, which enabled so many Rotarians to attend the Dunedin Conference.

It would have been almost impossible to have held the Conference had it not been for the thorough manner in which Mr. Chapman and his staff entered into their work. Visitors from England and the United States spoke in glowing terms of the courtesy and consideration extended to them by all concerned.

* * *

Bishop West-Watson, the new Bishop of Christchurch, says: “Travelling on the New Zealand Railways is like having a day in the country.” Besides the trip to Dunedin from Christchurch, he had previously visited Timaru and Mount Somers by train. “Railway travel here,” continued the Bishop, “is not such an exhausting rush as in England…….Taken all round the trip was delightful.”—“Lyttelton Times.”

* * *

Among the many letters of appreciation received this month is one from the firm of Munt Cottrell & Co., Ltd., expressing their thanks to the Goods Agent at Wellington for keeping the Railway Yard open on a recent Saturday afternoon for the purpose of loading 130 tons of cement. Such action was of the utmost value to the firm “and affords good proof” they write “of the manner in which the Department studies the interests of the Commercial Community.”

* * *

The firm of E. H. Little and Company, Produce Merchants, Auckland, in thanking the District Traffic Manager at Auckland for the assistance rendered in the speedy transport of potatoes from Pukekohe for shipping per “Niagara,” writes under date May 11th:-

The fact that the Company was able to load three-quarters of the shipment yesterday helped them considerably towards giving the last truck to be loaded aboard, more careful stowage.

He adds that the Company appreciates this assistance and is gratified to know that it can be aided in this way by the Department.