RAILWAY SERVICES.

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 278, 18 August 1921, Page 6

RAILWAY SERVICES.

REDUCTIONS PRODUCE FEW PROTESTS

BRANCH LINE EARNINGS The reduction of railway serriecs seems to have been accepted in philosophic spirit by the districts affected. The amended time-table come into operation on Sunday last, and very few complaints have reached the Afinister or the Department. Requests for the amendment of tho new time-table, in order that the reduced service may operate in manner best suited to the needs of the district, have been made in one or two instances, and the Department has met these requests in a sympathetic spirit whenever possible. But in no case has the out been less severe than was originally announced. Perhaps local opinions will be expressed more fully when members of Parliament meet Ministers after the opening of the. session next month. The Alinister of Railways has indicated that he may ba able presently to give the public some additional information about the earnings of the branch line# affected by the reductions in services The preparation of figures dealing with the branches probably will bo a task of difficulty, since it has been the custom of the' Department to treat each trunk line and its branches as a unit tor statistical purposes. Separate figures are available- for such lines as the Whangarei and Gisbonie railways, which are not yet connected with the main systems But the South Island Main Trunk line and its branches are treated as n -whole, and the separation of the revenue and :xpendrtur/of a P-t>cular Mb m by no means a simple matter. Ihe pre n-ration of exact figures would involve the examination of v V y many thousands avould complicate the- calculation seriously.