TO CATCH LAST TRAINS.

Auckland Star, Volume 55, Issue 95, 22 April 1924, Page 6

TO CATCH LAST TRAINS.

AUCKLAND STATION CROWDED. LAST NIGHT S EXCITEMENT. HOLIDAY-MAKERS HURRY'HOME. Auckland station platform was the scene of a wild rush for seats on the Main Trunk expresses. Under any circumstances many of the Easter holidaymakers that had been spending a few days in Auckland would have been wending their way homeward, but the news in the **Star"-that a strike was prettycertain gave an added incentive to the strangers within our gates to get home as quickly as possible. Oreat relief was felt by the south-bound folks that the trains starting before midnight would be run to their destinations. Two trains were put on for Wellington, and something' like 1400- people travelled by them. The first express left about twenty-five minutes past seven instead of ten minutes , past the hour, and the second exprese got away about twenty minutes past eight. The railway people were very solicitous to carry everyone that wanted to get away, and the result was that the last train wag of abnormal length, eight carriages being added to the train that had been originally made up. By six o'clock the crowds began to gather at the station, and by the time the gates were opened.there was a crowd of several hundred. The first train was soon filled, and in spite of the extraordinary circumstances attending the handling of the traffic it was only about fifteen minutes late.. Then the second express*- crowd had its turn: - There- was an even greater, .number than iqt the first express, and although there wan naturally a good deal of anxiety and seme people were more than anxious, everything was well managed by the cool atationmaHter (Mr. Harding) and his staff, and the crowd obviously appreciated the way things were baing run. Naturally, there was not much picking and choosing in the way. of seats; everyone just got in.where he or she could. At last the long train was full, and drew out of the station at about twenty minutes past eight instead of seven forty, the schedule time. But people were so pleased at getting .away, they would not have minded if the train was a couple of hours late; they had had an assurance that the train would be run right through, and tfcey seemed quite satisfied, evidently.believing that things might. have been , a great deal worse than they were.