OUR RAILWAY SERVICES.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVI, Issue 4811, 16 February 1925, Page 2

OUR RAILWAY SERVICES.

REQUESTS FOR IMPROVEMENTS. BETTER FACILITIES NEEDED. Following on the conference of a number of Chambers of Commerce at Te Aroha on Wednesday the opportunity was taken by several delegates to bring before the commercial agent of the Rail.way Department, Mr H. Wel.sh, various matters affecting improvements to the service. WAITING ROOM. Mr R. Coulter (Te Aroha) asked if the department could consider improving the accommodation provided at the Frankton Junction waiting rooms. He contended that the existing accommodation was totally inadequate and out of date considering the large number of travellers who frequented the w.aiting rooms through the day and night. A Voice: If we get the through train we need not worry about Frankton Mr Coulter said that he was speaking generally, and not on behalf of any particular people or district. li reply Mr Welsh said that he was of the opinion the accommodation was sufficient at that junction ; however, he would be pleased to look into the matter. ADVERTISING EXCURSIONS. Mr Coulter asked if it was not possible to popularise more week-end excursions by rail. Many people would be only too glad to avail themselves of such trips, provided they knew about them, but there was the rub. He thought that the department should advertise more extensively. The speaker isaid that it had only recently come to his. knowledge that week-end excursions were at present available to Rotorua, and he felt sure that scores of people did not know that such a trip was available. Generally he was of the opinion that the train services were insufficiently advertised.

Mr Welsh replied that destructive criticism wasrall very well, but had the meeting any constructive criticism to offer. He pointed out that excursion trips and ■ other train services were made known through the newspapers, bills were posted up in the station buildings, and the' departissued a railway guide at regular intervals.

Mr Coulter said that many of the bills to be seen in the station were yeans old, and in any ease that form of publicity only reached a small proportion of the public. He contended that, more advertising should be done through the newspapers.

Mr C. E; Macmillan, M.P., supported Mr Coulter’s remarks, and said that the matter of railway publicity han been considered by the recent Railway Commission, and a deputation had also brought the matter before the Hon. Minister for Railways. He contended that it was not reasonable tb expect representatives of newspaper s s to ascertain what the train services were and to publish locals concerning them free of charge. He strongly supported the suggestion that the department should be prepared to spend more money in advertising its services in the local newspapers.

* Mr E. W. Porritt (Paeroa), suggested that the handbills might be displayed at post offices in addition to station buildings. -