MAIN TRUNK EXPRESS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 814, 11 May 1910, Page 4

MAIN TRUNK EXPRESS.

A HUNTERVILLE REQUEST,

' THE MINISTER DECLINES. I

'A small deputation from the Rangitikel electorate "arrived ill town by tho Main Trunk express yesterday afternoon, and proceeded to'the omco of the Minister for .Railways (Hen. J. A. Millar),''with the object of'obtaining the Ministerial sanction to such amendment of the'present North Island- Main Trunk time-table as would permit of. the through express stopping at Hunterville. Mr. R. \Y. Smith, M.P. for the district, introduced' tho deputa.tion. •Mr. Mcldrum. the first speaker, said that there was no desire in the minds.of the people of Hunterville that the interests of Mangaweka should .be prejudiced.' Thev wished to urge, however, that Hunterville was a recognised stock centre of growing importance. Every facility had been arranged for ail adequate ivater sup,ply for the railway engines, -and the local; reservoir -had recently Pn a, period ot' 15 weeks 202,000 gallons had been supplied to the. locomotives at a cost to the Department of less than a. pound per 'week. ' The dou'il mail frequently .had to'stop at Rata, a .small station a few miles away, for water j that station was not scheduled as a inail stop. I'ho up trairi stopped at Ohingaiti and Mangaweka, two stations within a short distance of'each other. The speaker then handed to the. Minister a petition in sup. port, containing about 1000 signatures. ' •Mr. Hockly said that it 1 would pay ths Department to'stop the express at Hunterville, as an'aiei of-320 square niilea' concentrated UDon tho township. Mr. Smith, Shi?., asked that, the suggested change be given a fair trial. . . , The Minister, in reply, regretted that lie could not accede to the request, of the deputation. The Department was endeavouring to arrange the running of tho Main Trunk express trains, on a basis' of. forty-mile stops, or as near that as possible*. Huntervillo was only 17 miles from' Marto'n Junction. . During .his, recent visit to.Australia ho had looked-into : this particular question of stops. - Th© through express on a ilO-mile ran stopped, oh an average, once in every 50 miles, passing stations of much greater importance than Hunterville. • It wouldbe unsatisfactory for the mails, and unfair to the long-distance passengers, to increase the number of stops along the, line, and if he conceded tho request of Hunterville' he w-ould have no' end of. trouble'with other places. The engine-: boilers, when juli, were estimated to.last for a forty-mile ■'run, or thereabouts. Every extra stop-meant loss of time and additional wear and tear. 'With regard to the remark made that the • tram stop* ; ped at Ohingaiti, lie wished to say; that", if that were so it was against his intention. He would ask the reason why. When the road bed had settled down properly, and higher speeds were attainable, it might be possible to reconsider the matter, say, about November next.