Among the Horses.

Now, let us consider some of the uses to which the freight services of the railways are put.

Everybody, I suppose, loves a horse; and one of the general means of relaxation amongst our people is found on the racecourse.

The seasonal race meetings held in various parts of New Zealand, both for trotters and gallopers, make considerable use of the railways in achieving their success. First, it is recognised that for transport over any considerable distance, no method of conveyance is more suited to the highly-strung organism of the thorough-bred than that supplied by the railways. The “horse-boxes” in the degree of comfort they provide for their racers, compare quite favourably with the carriages in which the owners are transported. The big double-bogie “Ug” horse-wagon is used on express trains, and rides as smoothly as a first-class car. In each compartment every part where chafing might occur is protected by thick leather-covered padding, and in other respects the vehicle has all the comforts of a loose-box in a modern stable. Special attention has been paid to strength, convenience, and ventilation in the design of these wagons. A quite cosy compartment in each is provided for the boys in control of the horses, so that their charges may be under constant and effective super-vision throughout the run.

The ordinary four-wheeled, appropriately named “G” horse-box, is generally used on “goods” trains, when there is no urgency about the transport of the boxes. Sometimes, after a big meeting, a “horse-special” is run, and then a fast schedule is arranged, and a train, running perhaps all through the night with nothing but horses and a car for trainers and attendants, will land them safely at their destination, hundreds of miles away, as day breaks on the following morning. These “specials” are particularly in demand when “meetings” in distant districts come close together.

Sheep and cattle, too, have their fine airy wagons, chocked for their feet to prevent slipping. When the days are hot it is no unusual thing for the staff at intermediate stations to treat the cattle to a shower-bath by turning on to them the hose-pipe of the engine water-tank—and it has just as much reviving effect on these four-legged animals as the ordinary home shower-bath has on their owners. They buck up immediately, and decide that life is still well worth living.