LONG DISTANCE FARES.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 9648, 13 November 1909, Page 4

LONG DISTANCE FARES.

One of the proposals outlined in the Budget which is of considerable interest to the travelling public is that in reference to the alteration in long distance fares. At present the fares are reduced on a sliding scale according to distance, but under the new proposal long distance passengers will receive no advantage, it being intended to make the fares uniform for all distances, viz., a penny halfpenny per mile h'rst class, and one penny per mile second class. It is expected that this alteration will result in an income of £IOO,OOO a year in the railway revenue. The effect in regard to passengers on the Main Trunk railway, particularly to sec ond class passengers, will be somewhat considerable. At present, the first clas3 fare between Wellington and Auckland is £1 19s Id, but under the proposed new scale it will be increased to £2 13s 3d, an increase of Is 2d. The second class tare at pres ent is £1 Is 2d, but the scale will raise it to £1 15s 6d (an increase of 14s 4d) or to nearly the amount of the present first-class fare. It will thus be seen that the effect of the proposed new scale, »f carried into effect, may have an appreciable effect on the traffic on the Main. Trunk line.