THE TRAIN SERVICE

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 187, 11 September 1909, Page 6

THE TRAIN SERVICE

BETWEEN WEST AND EAST COASTS. At a meeting of the Taranaki Chamber of Commerce last Friday evening it was resolved to co-operate with the Palim-iston North Chamber of Commerce in trying to arrange for daily communication between Napier and New Plymouth, provided the arrival of the mail train at New Plymouth he not later than 8.30 p.m. Exception being taken to the decision by several members who were unable to be present, a special meeting of the Chamber was called for yesterday afternoon to re-con-sider the question. Mr. W. J. Penn (president) was in the chair and about fifteen members wcie present. Mr. Penn briefly outlined the purpose of, and Teason for conveuiig, the meeting, and read a letter from Mr. Tisch, expressing his objections to the course the Chamber had taken.

Mr. Newton King spoke of the motion as unwise and retrogressive. While it was important and a good thing to have through daily service between the coasts, they had'the interests of the harbor to consider. They should not be a party to anything that would interfere with the steamer service. He anticipated un increase in the present traffic and a consequent alteration in the service from bi-weekly to tri-wcekly. A delay of half-an-hour in the time of starting of the bouts would probably mean losing Ihc train connection With the Waikatn and Rotorua, and they could afford to take no such risk. People might say half-an-hour was nothing, but that was not so in this instance. He would be glad if the train arrived half-an-hour earlier, but he would fight against its coming later. He would Jike to see the passenger tax done away with.

Mr. Connctt endorsed the remarks of the previous speaker in regard to Mie suggested train alteration, it entailed too big a sacrifice. Referring to the shipping companies, he complained bitterly of the treatment they had meted out to New Plymouth. They had had a very good innings in respect of lhe New Plyniouth-Onehunga service in the past, and they might have acted otherwise than they had. As it was, instead of reducing their fares and improving the service, say, six months before the Main Trunk was opened,, they seemed to have gone out of thei r way to help the railway and kill the port by reducing the service to a bi-weekly one just after the Main Trunk line was opened. He felt sure the summer would bring wi f .h it an improvement in the service and probably the shipping companies would sec that it would be in their own interests to make the service tri-wcekly. If a bi-weekly service were a partial failure, there was no reason to believe a tri-weekly one would also be a failure. In regard to abolishing the passengT tax, he did not wish to commit or the Board.

Mr. C. H. Burgess disagreed with 'he arguments of the previous speakers in respect of the possibility of injury being done to the shipping. service by the proposed train alteration. 3y their action in suddenly discontinuing the daily service and inaugurating but a bi-weekly service, the shipping companies had advertised from one end of the country to the other that New Plymouth was killed so far as the passenger traffic was concerned. There was no promise from the companies that they would improve the service in the future. To his mind, if the welfare of tho port depended upon the proposed half-hour delay the port was in a pretty 'bad state.

Mr. Rudd (local manager of the Union S.'S. Co.) said his company considered a delay of half-an-hour in the time of departure would prove detrimental to the through traffic with the Waikato. Quite a number of people went straight through. It was not a question, of the ability of a boat to do the journey in a given time, but a question of having time to spare for any contingency that might arise. He could not promise that the service would be made tri-week'y, but he felt sure that were the traffic to warrant it better facilities would 'oe provided. He pointed out that the interests of the port and the company were identical.

Mr. Webster (Northern S.S. Co) said his company did not favor any delay in the hour of departure; indeed, they would far rather have it made earlier. It would be a bad advertisement for the service were there any risk over tho boats connecting with the Waikato train, and this risk would exist if the boats were delayed half-an-hour. With regard to a tri-weekly service, he would he only too pleased to recommend his company to inaugurate it if sufficient inducement offered.

Mr. H. Okcy, M.P., said that he put a question to the Minister for Railways last session asking, him if he could so arrange the time-table as to allow the Napier train to connect with the New Plymouth express. This the Minister promised to consider. It was obvious to anyone that the service on the two coasts could be speeded up, and with this done there would be no occasion to interfere with the time of tho arrival of tho train at New Plymouth. He believed they should assist the Palinerston North Chamber in that direction.

Mr. W. Ainbury characterised the aruments useil against the proposed series as weak. They had more to gain han lose by making the change. He ould not sec how the port would snfer by the delay in the arrival of the rain. The bulk of the people wishing o visit Eotorua would go by the Man Irunk train. It was different in the ild days, when this was the only route. Phc majority of the people who traveled by steamer went to Auckland for lusincss purposes, and if they want-d o go to the Waikato would do go next lay. If they had a through service, .he chances were that Hawke's Bay lenple would take this route on day's vhen the boats were not running bo;\vccn Napier and Auckland. This woulil itrongthen New Plymouth's chance ol jetting a tri-weekly service between Jew 'Plymouth and Auckland. Once :hrough communication were establisn' id, they could try and get the railwij services accelerated and so have 'm train arriving here at the present hour 3c. admitted the shipping companies bj lot bringing down the fares and impror ng the facilities before the Man Trunl opened had caused considerable harm t< the. port. He was quite prepared t' igrco to the rescinding of that portioi »f the motion dealing with delaying i hi jrrival of the train by half-an-hour i through communication could be obtain Ml without it. Mr. Pcnn said that in order to asccr tain the .position in regard to tin steamer connecting with the Botoru express, he had obtained particulars o the arrival of the Rarawa at One lmnga. Out of 12G trips the connectioi could have been made, had the vessc been delayed by half-an-hour, on 109 ot easions; on six the vessel would hav missed had she been half an hour ]at< and on eleven the connection would pre bably have been missed. So there wa little force in that argument. The shir ring companies would not guarantee th connection with the Eotorua exprcs even under present conditions. He jj;-i: (ceded to speak of the gains from dai' communication with the East Coast. H had a letter from a Stratford residen stating that it would be more conveni ent for residents there if the train wer delayed by half an hour. (Voice: Eot! Then there was the question of trad between the two coasts. The fish nin fruit li'a'dcs, for instance, were worfcl cultivating. It would bo a capital thin for the people along the line if the could get their fish daily. And the sani was the case, only in a lesser degi'ci with fruit. Then there was the coin nvrrial relations of the two district U- .•rui-Mer. The proprietor of the Eg iiici: Hoot Co. had assured him tha it would be a great convenience t him in his operations if thei were a daily train and mail service. i dairy company in the .Stratford distric at one time used to sell a considernbl imount of cheese in Hawke's Kay, lm owing to the present bad railway ar rangement they had lost the trade. T might be said that Hawke's Bay ma:',' elieese itself hut there was the fact tha raranaki bought a considerable amoun of cheese, from the Wairarapa. Be sides Hawke's Bay they would hav through communication 'with the Wai rarapa. At present people from th Hast Coast could not come here fo their holidays without breaking tin onrncy. The present arrangements pu t stop to inter-comiunnicaJ.ioii betwee: .he two coasts, and there was no clianci if it growing, unless they had a daii; icvvice, from the inauguration of whici .hey had more to gain that lose. Hi Mentioned that the Hawera Chambc lad supported daily communication bo wceu Napier and Now Plymouth. Mr. Connett: Yes; we all admit i vonld be a good thing. Mr. King did not think the people o he province approved of the propose! ielay. For instance, tlie Eltham pape' lad spoken out against it. He did no hink there was much in the statemer hat a Stratford resident was losin; msiness owing to the want of dail; ommunication. A day's delay in suc'l . case counted for nothing. In rcgan .0 tho fish traffic—well, they could ge just as good supplies here if people wer. prepared to find the necessary mone; and go in for the industry on'busincsi lines.

Voice: But you could not got suiv plies in bad wsatlierl

Mr. King: We have river* -wherein there is any amount of fish. It had been said that Napier people would travel this way to reach Auckland were there a daily service, but would not these people use the Main Trunk? Mr. Okey had hit the nail on the head. There was no doubt that the speed of the trains could and should be accelerated. The trains were much lighter now than they wore formerly and there should be no difficulty in saving half-an-hour. Taranaki had always fought against any delay in the arrival of the mail train, and in this it was wise. After further discussion it was resolved to assist the Palmerson North Chamber in inaugurating through railway communication between the two coasts, but to oppose any delay ia the arrival of the train at New Plymouth.