A DECREASE

Auckland Star, Volume XLVI, Issue 308, 28 December 1915, Page 6

A DECREASE

IK HOLIDAY TRAFFIC. BY LAND AND SEA. Mft-::, MORE PEOPLE COME THAN Go;< Railway and shipping returns at , ' Auckland for the holiday season indicate ■ th-at the trafik ever that period has M -been hardly as heavy as in previous years. To an extent the weather was i responsible for the decrease, but there . are also evidences that there is a dis- [ inclination on the part of the public tc , spend money as freely as usual. It j« >" ; also of some significance that while the . railway traffic o\er all lines from Auckland shows a falling-off, there ha 6 been a i considerable increase in the number . arriving. To an extent the experience '■> lof the shipping companies has befea '■■ . similar, "all of which may be taken aj'°'- ; a declaration of the popularity of our-' . i city," remarked a well-known manager ~ ;' A special night train from Auckland' ■ •'• .to Rotorua leaving here on .' Eve is, however, an innovation that has ■ "•■ received a warm welcome from tne-' : 11 travelling public. A total of 400 pas-'-' t , sengers left Auckland, and the majority 11 ; :■■'.-, I went right through to spend the week-"■;-. . end at the headquarters of the popular ; - : . thermal region. The train returned to .'Auckland early this morning, brin<nii» ' \ back a larje batch of holiday-makers. " j Railway traflie from Wellington towards £ : Auckland has been quite up to the usual j for the season. The train which arrived here on Christmas morning was a par- -. ' ticularly full one, and the Christmas '''£':• I Eve train from Wellington was madev-'"-' .up of IS full-size passenger carriages. • ' Over 700 passengers reached Auckland■"■'■-'' ■ jby the train on Christmas afternoon.-. i Picnic traflie on the suburban liiieg --' 'has not been as heavy as usual,-'but v ' on the other hand the numbers of pai-. ■ J sengers travelling- by rail to tbe races"; shows an increase of about 15 per cent. The system of trains for the races'. Ellerslie yesterday worked excellently, ~ *" J an average of 15 minutes for the "trip.; : [ 'both going and coming was maintained. ; I The races at Thames to-day and yeater- '■"• ■•■ '. day have attracted a large number,-.of; '. people by rail from Frankton, Morrin'e- ; S.' '.vine, Paeroa, and surrounding ■ : . j There is very little doing in the over- '' ' : seas passenger business just now. ;jin the intercolonial trade there has been.'- "■' ''a decided falling off since the permit rJJ 'j system was adopted. A captain of :bhe ' ? ' t of the big liners now in. port eummed bp> s ithe position very nicely this meriting-: ' I when he remarked, " You have got to,. , ',be very old or very young" to travel $::j "j far just now. People are not inclined toXv ''undertake long holiday trips just Mthe whole tone of their attitude being •,f : " after the war." The ferry companies state that $*!£& ' returns for the holidays are not quite so I good as in former years. The weather is thought to have been, the principal : cause of the decrease, although, it was- ; '' ' noticed that the more expensive fripe J": I were not so readily patronised. Large "•.' 3 j crowds visited Devonport, Takapmia,' 1; ■ j St. Heller's, Mototapu and other popular ■(resorts. The numerous fleet of'theV*' 1 i Northern Steamship Company carried,-'* , ' ''■passengers a little further afield. ' j traffic was almost normal for the siii- *' son. but even here the tendency was to-; ; 'v * i wards a decrease.