THE RAILWAY TIME-TABLE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 249, 26 November 1909, Page 4

THE RAILWAY TIME-TABLE.

"NEW PLYMOUTH SECURED THE

SHADOW."

The alteration to the timetable, according to the luglewood Record, simply' means that the through train leaves tn'e I track as ail express uud takes' its place as au ordinary' slow, composite train. So far as New Plymouth is coiieerueil it will be useless, as, arriving at U. 20 |>.,n. passengers will only have time to shoot oil' to secure lodgings before ten o'clock, and will not have any time i„ look up or interview anyone on business matters, as at present, and so be ready to return by the morning through train. Neither will anyone be -able to take advantage of that train for attending pleasure or political meetings or performances. . . ,\Vc cannot hold New Plymouth quite blameless in the matter, as its constant efforts to get daily connection with Napiei have no doubt been used as a sfeppingstono for the present alterations' in the time-table. New Plymouth has secured iUs shadow of daily run from east to west of the island, but has thereby lost the substance of a train that brought more real boiielit to it and the public in one day than the sitbstiUited service will in a month. . . The latening of the arrival at New I'ivmouth will very much increase tinprobability of passengers by steamers being unable to catch the express train from 'Auckland, going smith, at the Penrose junction; lint then we are not at all certain that that very circumstance is not a great factor in the alteration, as it must of necessity increase the traffic via the Main Trunk line, a-s passengers wis'liing to get, the Auckland express going south will naturally eschew the risk of missing it by taking the Main Trunk line north and leaving it on reaching the desired station. . . The increase of rates on the trunk line by striking out the 'long-distance" concession must be counterbalanced some way or other, in order to conserve the traffic, and the surest way to do that was to block the method'of travelling by New Plymouth and Oneliunga. and that is evidently the object of the new timetable, and the Minister appears to foe on the road to success in that direction.