Quicker Mails to Wellington.

Patea Mail, 16 March 1882, Page 3

Quicker Mails to Wellington.

The commercial relations of this coast with Wellington require a speedier service of mails than that which carries a Patea letter to Wellington in three days. It so happens that the saving of an hour or two would be the saving of a whole day. The train leaves New Plymouth at 7-45 morning, reaching Wanganui at 6-30 evening, and there the mails stop till next afternoon. For the evening train to Foxton leaves Wanganui at 4-15, two hours fifteen minutes before the other train arrives from the north. If the train to Foxton were timed to carry the mail through the same night, the Foxton coach would carry the mail on next morning, reaching Wellington in the afternoon of the second day. The mail from this district would thus reach Wellington within two days, and the rapid execution of orders would be facilitated, while through passenger traffic would be much less of a weariness in two days than in three, and much cheaper. The thing can be done. The problem is to save about two hours between New Plymouth and Wanganui. Let the train from New Plymouth start at 6-45 a.m., saving one hour. The regulation speed for trains is 15 miles an hour,-including stoppages. The coach loses about 15 minutes at Hawera in going to the hotel and postoffice after getting the mails onboard at the station. By doing those things before the train is due, 15 minutes would be saved, making 75 minutes gained on the present time. Then a little time could be gained by the coach running up to its contract speed of eight miles an hour between Hawera and Waverley, allowing time to feed at Patea. Say the train could start from Waverley at 2-45, being an hour and a half earlier than at present. It could catch the outward train at Aramoho for Foxton about 4-50 (instead of carrying the through mails into Wanganui and out again) ; and the mails would reach Foxton that night at 10-15, being only 20 minutes later than at present. The eaily coach next morning would howl on to Wellington, reaching late in the afternoon.

The journey to Wellington in two days from Taranaki, or one and a half from Patea, thus becomes easy. The only question is how to reach Foxton in one day from Taranaki; and we have shown it can be done without strain, and with reasonable contrivance, by starting one hour earlier, and reaching Foxton 20 minutes later than at present. Government need not spend a penny more. They have only to require the coach service to be done within the contract time of eight miles an hour, and they have only to run trains at the regulation speed of fifteen miles an hour. This quicker communication with Wellington is so important to commercial men and the travelling public on this coast, that it would be well for individuals to urge the matter on Government as an important boon that will cost nothing. If commercial men in this district don’t move, who will ?