EXTRA EXPRESS ON MAIN TRUNK.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 220, 11 January 1911, Page 6

EXTRA EXPRESS ON MAIN TRUNK.

"WOULD BE RUN AT A LOSS." Auckland, Monday. Great surprise and indignation were expressed by the public of Auckland when it .became known that the extra daily expresses, which had been running between Auckland and Wellington during the holiday season, were to be discontinued. These extra trains, which have been running during the past three weeks have been exceedingly well patronised, and have proved a great convenience to the holiday-making public, and there is every reason to believe that if continued they would create a traffic for themselves, and would prove a paying proposition. Even the last of the morning expresses from Auckland, which left on Friday, carried about 300 passengers, and there seems to be no sign of diminution in the number travelling. The last of''the extra trains from the south left Wellington on Friday night. The holiday traffic is not by any means over yet, and it is anticipated that travellers will anticipate some difficulty in obtaining comfortable seats for a little time to some. There were about •-uj passengers on the express winch arrived from Wellington on Friday, the ordinary express arriving from Wellington that morning carried from 4.30 to 500 passengers, and the evening express from Auckland and a complement of about .350 passengers. Large numbers are still travelling to and from Rotorua. The express from Auckland to Rotorua on Fri-. day carried from 250 to 300 passengers, and the incoming express brought from 450 to 500 people. Questioned as to the reason for the discontinuance of the extra express the Hon. J. A. Millar (Minister for Railways) said the traffic would not warrant its continuance, and he was advised by his Departmental officers that it should not bo run any longer. He had not the figures showing the earnings and cost of the train while it had been running, but he knew that if the train were made a permanent one there would be a loss on it lor the year. In reply to a further question. Mr. Millar stated that the Christchurch-ln-vercargill express (which is run in addition to the Christclmrch-Dunedin express) did not pay for two months in the year, but taking the train all the year round it returned a profit.