Tin Daily News MONDAY, NOVEMBER 22. VIA NEW PLYMOUTH.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 245, 22 November 1909, Page 2

Tin Daily News MONDAY, NOVEMBER 22. VIA NEW PLYMOUTH.

There is one feature of the Budget proposals which should afford no little satisfaction to this district, ami particularly to the Harbor Hoard, included in the four principal sources from which the Minister of Finance proposes to raise the wherewithal to meet the increased cost of providing for adequate defence is that of withdrawing the concessions on long-distance travelling on tile railways. I We liare already staled that the proI posal lo revert to a uniform rate per inile has our support—because the cost, I ia per mile second-class and l'/jd per ' mile lirst-class is a reasonable one; bej cause no section of the conumiuily j snould have the privilege of using the railways at a rate that cannot be protitable; and lastly, because the withdrawal of the concessions is not indicting any extra, burden on tile great mass of the workers, with whom long-distance

travelling at ordinary times is an unusual event. There is one aspect of this question, however, that lias a particular significance to New Plymouth, in that it is apparent that the increased rate will almost certainly have the ell'eet of diverting much of the Main Trunk passenger trallic to the more comt'onablc suaiuiT route. As the rates arc at present, it is cheaper to travel from Wellington to Auckland by train direct than via New Plymouth. Under the proposed >chedulc, however, the position will :>a reversed, and there will be a not incon-

-.u. r. i,l.e to travellers patronising ilic inner r0,.,i-. The following lab'c will tJiuw at a glance approximate!) how ilie preM'iit rates for the Welling-ton-Auckland journey compare with those proposed (single journoy):— Wellington to Auckland.

I Present Proposed [ Fares. Fares. I Ist. 2nd. Ist. ' 2nd. ' s. d. s. d. 6. d. s. d. t Main Trunk 3'J 1 21 2 53 4 35 0 i Kail and [ steamer 44 2 28 8 52 0 30 -1 [ Return Journey. s. d. s. d. s, d. 6. d. [ Main Trunk 78 1 42 4 100 8 71 0 | Rail and I steamer 70 4 40 10 00 0 05 2 [ From the above it is apparent that, i while at present Main Trunk passengers > save on single tickets 5s Id and 7s Oil y first and second class respectively as > compared with the New Plymouth route, [ under the new arrangement, the actual > fares will be to all intents and pur- > poses the same, though slightly in > favor of the steamer route. The saving on return tickets -is even greater, for while the first-class return ticket is Is 3d cheaper and "tie secondclass is Od cheaper by Main. Trunk at present, after tlie new arrangement comes into operation the New Plymouth ;* route will be 7s Sd and 4s lOd cheaper '. respectively. And this, it will be ob- [* served, in fares alone, without considcra- £ lion of tlie increased comfort and the S> saving on meals and sleeping accommo- >♦ elation (which have to be paid for addi■f tionally on the railway). When these ■t latter items are taken into account, the ;.' advantages of the New Plymouth route !* are much more apparent. The weari- ' some 21-hour railway journey from Wei- • lington to Auckland necessitates the ' sustaining power of nourishment, and . !>s would be a reasonable allowance for * the additional meals purchased coml pared with passengers' requirements on > the 12-hour journey from Wellington to ' New Plymouth. No extra charge is , mado for the meals supplied on the boat. > Again, a passenger desiring to secure as ' much comfort as possible on the Main , Trunk journey lias to pay 10s for a 1 ■ slopping berth. Calculated on this rca- ; sonablp allowance for extras, the first , class simile railway trip -will cost not le-s thnii liSs 4d. as compared with 52s ; by rail and boat—a clear saving of 10--4d. On the return journey the railway charge will be at least eli Ids Bd. while return hv rail and steamer works out at C 4 Ills, a difference in favor of ilie latter of 37s Sd. In making these ealeu- ' lationa we have taken into coneideralion ' that most travellers purchase two meals ; on'the Wellington-New Plymouth jour- ■ ney, aiid we have accordingly only j charged against the Main Trunk jour- j ney the approximate amount spent in ] addition. Within a few pence, therefore, through travellers between Wo'l- j lington and Auckland, first-cho-'s.. will- , actually save 10s 4d on the single jour- t ney ami 37s Sd on the return journey. v I Tile difference will be less in the case of „

second-class passengers, who have not been given the "privilege'' of paying 10s for a sleeping berth on the trains, Bui compared with a sleepless night in a craniped-up position on the train, there! are few who would not concede a- comfortnlile berth in the steamer to be worth more than 10s. were any such charge made. The only advantage <f the overland route, and it is not a vttal one. is represented by a saving of two to three hours in the completion of tintliromrh joiirnci'. Were a reasonable acceleration of Mi,'. Wellington-New I'iv month mail train granted, however, and a slight speeding up of Hie steamer made, this advantage could easily lie wiped nut. We have not the slighted hesitation in saying (hat the slight advantage in time gained by the railway

I route fails utterly to compensate forth,. I nsiiltnnl fatigue. W c arc confident I that, the new rates will not be long In operation before the stream of traffic is diverted to the cheaper and infinitely more comfortable rout" via New Plymonth. It remains for the Harbor Hoard and the shipping companies to bestir themselves and bring the advantages of tlii s route prominently before the travelling public throughout the dominion. Thereafter w 0 shall not have long to wait before the traffic will justify the Te-inst.iliil.ion of the dailv'bont service Instead of the unsatisfactory biweekly trips at present obtaining. "