NEW MOTOR SERVICE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 198, 30 January 1915, Page 5

NEW MOTOR SERVICE.

NKvV PJA'AIOUT'iI-Oi'ONAIiE. AN INTKUJMmXfJ FUNCTION

The progress of modern locomotion

Mas strikingly illustrated at Okalo _\i-.-terday, when there were to be seen in juxtaposition one of the fast disappea'--ui;.; bullock waggons and an up-to-dale clmr-a-banc. The latter is one of the 'buses which the Taranaki Traiit'poil Company are placing on the eoasta! run between Opunake and New Plymouth 0:1 Monday next, and which is to supersede llie old mail coach, wlhic'h has done yeoman service fcu the road for so many years past. The 'bus had made a trial run fro'.ii New Plymouth to Okato with about tlmrty representative professional and business nwn as guests of the company. The journey of over sixteen miles on a road which contains numerous awkward bends and still' -pinches was accomplished with case in exactly one hour, arid all were 'pleased at the smoothness with which the big car, manipulated l>v the capable driver, Mr Jas. Thompson, travelled, and the manner in which it Icok the hills. The journey was as comfortable as if done in the ordinary Ji'otor car, there; being an entire five(lorn from dust. l/ii arrival at the Okato hotel, those present were the guests of the Taranaki Transport Company at a luncheon, and after full justice had been done to the good far j provided by Host Booker, who had been given very short notice of the trip, a short toast list was discussed.

After tin: U3«al. loyal toast liad been honoured, -Mr J. B. Wilson, Mayor of New Plymouth, who presided, proposed the health of the Taranaki Transport Motor Co., Ltd., which he wished every prosperity. They had, he said, just tested the conveyance that the company 'intended utilising on-the run between New Plymouth and Okato. It had dona the jour.*y under the hour and prowl very comfortable, and was fully equipped to cope with a very trying road. The business of the comI j.any, lie said, was for general tram;j'port. Passenger traffic was the latest I development of its operations, and one that the New Plymouth people would ■ue'eom.; heartily because the benefits to th t . to vn would be very considerable,, as people from, the coast would be able to do their business ,in New 'Plymouth in or.e day and vice versa. The Transmit Company, he concluded, would do the work which it was anticipated the coastal railway would do later on.

, i.Mr T. 0. List (chairman of directors), I in reply, regretted that it had not been I pcssible to have more of the settlers of I Hie coait present. The trip .had been I I urricdly arranged, and possibly later I on they might meet more of the'coastal i people. The Taraiuki Transport ComI ['any was si new venture. It already | had several freighters in commission in .South Taranaku. In regard to the'pasjsi nger service, it was proposed to ! utilise the big 'bus 'between New PlyI month and o'<ato, where the road was j mere difficult, and a lighter but equally ' efficient 'bus would be used between {'kato and Opunake. There would be two trips daily each way between New Plymouth and Opunake. ' They were proting by tlie experiences of the old Opur.ake Transport Company, and had sicured machines able to cope, with the difficulties of the road. Aa a stand-by, they ha«i another machine wihieh they could in an emergency immediately bring I into servic \ If they found the service a j success and the people showed their ap- ! pr-joiation hy patronising it, as they '■ expected, the company was -prepared to : still furtiK r improve and extend the j service, inferring to New Plymouth, he : said that ,11 his capacity as chairman of 1 the Tourist and Expansion League, the increasing popularity of New Plymouth as a holiday and tourist resort was becoming yearly more manifest. During tlie holidays tliey had had application-: from 200 people more than they could find accommodation for, and, speaking, as he was, to a representative gathering of business men, he asked them to help t'he League in finding a solution for ths accommodation problem. He felt that they were only at the beginning of things as far as New Plymouth as a •tourist centre was concerned. The Transport Company could he relied upon to assist in .popularuing New Plymouth, by running week-end trips around the -places of interest at a modi era to fare, as was done in the large I cities. If there was the demand, the company would put on an extra 'bus for this special traffic. There were 60me people who were prone to decry New Plymouth, hut personally he had great faith in its future, and felt it was' about to make a marked move forward. This movement would be considerably assisted if more confidence in the place was manifested by some of its citizens, who were prone to cry "stinking fish," and each and every one of. them did his best to forward the town's interests.

Mr A. 11. Johnstone, in proposing the "Settlers on the coast between New .Plymouth and Opunake," referred to tha 'hardships and troublous times that the 'old settlers had experienced before they succeeded in bringing the land from the wild to the beautiful homesteads through which they had passed that day. Many could remember when the settlers went in terror of their lives "frolni native 'attack', find when they 'farmed without any degree of profit. Butter fetched 4d per lb., and one of th e staple products was Taranak.i wool (fungus). The difficulties in the way of transport, to and from the farm were now about to be overcome. No matter ho>v much their business might be interlocked, the settler was the backhone of the country and deserved well of the townsmen. Mr W. J. Gray, with name tihe toast -had been coupled, apologised for | the absence of seme of the settlers who ■ liad been on the coast for 40 years, lie . felt thai b L . nuisr, pay a tribute to those ] who had gone before. He gave a shoot ,' sketch of the mail and coaching services down the coast. In the early seventies, he said, the mail service was first started, and the mail had to he taken along ,the beach. There were no roads and 'many difficulties to surmount. Hone Pihama 'was the first to run the coach, and at the Harriet beach the passengers had to get out and walk along the 'sands. There were no motor cars in those days. In the early eighties the coach went along the road inland for iour or five miles, and then took to the beach, and as a lad he used to delimit in riding on tfhe coach, but he had his ise, as he had to get down and open tlie numerous gates through which the coach had to pass. Then followed A. Young, Mr Hall, A. Young, junr., the late Mr Job Vile (afterwards M.P. for Pahiatua), then came his son, who was followed by Mr T. P. Ilughson, and then by Mr W. A. Jury, which brought them right up to the present day. All these gentlemen had to contend witlli difficulties in the way of bad roads, hut t J hcy had given a, good service, and had also got the mail through. In the-' whole history there had only been one serious accident, viz.. at Oaonui river, in crossing whioh the coach had on one occasion been washed away and two of the 'eadei's drowned, but no one was hurt. Ho hoped that the Transport | Company would serve them as well. Re- ,' ferring to the upkeep and adunnistratron of tlie roads, he emphatically affirmed that there would be no peace until the settlers from Opunake to New Plymouth got the administration of the lead themselves. The funds should not be administered by Waitara and Moa, who had the railway, and had no interest in the coast road. Moreover, th,; ratepayers at the southern end of the Ooast had the iniquitous toll-gate, and ' it was not right that the funds from it 'sfooull be utilised to make roads in the North for ipeople who never used it. No wonder, 'he added, the member for the northern end had a act of silver-

ware presented t) him in recognition of liia efforts in gutting a share of their toll money. 'i'he speaker 'hoped that the settlers at the southern end would make one fell swoop on the Taranaki County Council and wipe their inrluenco oil' the coast.

-Mr B. P. Webster then proposed tho toast of "New iFlymouth," and said that ■A\ must recognise that New il'lymouth .Mas on the evo of great, progress. In a few years it would not only he ih: [••.-■ litre of a great Tourist traflic hut . for the distribution of produce for the vliole of Taranaki, including tlie Ohura Mr J. 3. Wilson, the Mayor, in se-i-.nowkdging th u toast, remarked that H beliovtd business men to make some sacrifice of their time and assist in iminiicipal matters.. It they did not take an interest in the chief work of the town, the real public life, it gave very little encouragement to others to '-woi'k. There was, he thought, a better public spirit in the town iiow, and he hoped to see a lot of the best representative men come out and contest the vacancies at the Borough Council elections in April, as he understood a number of the present Councillors would not seek reelection. He stressed the necessity for having the best possible men on the Council at the present time, when New Plymouth was on the eve of a period of great progress. The health of the host and hostess ' (Mr and Mr* B. T. Booker) was enthusiastically honoured, the proposer paying tribute to the ■progressiveness of Mr Booker. After a suitable response the party adjourned to the motor 'bus, when rt-vnral photographs were taken, one of winch should be particularly interesting, as affording a contrast "between the old and the new methods of locomotion a bullock waggon, in which some of the more portly of the guests had taken positions, having ibecri pressed into the picture with the modern motor .bus.

A start was tlwn made for town, which was reached comfortably in a conple of minutes under the hour. All were enthusiastic over the trip, considering the 'liiia an ideal one for the service, which will commence on Monday.