EARLY TRAVELLERS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXII, Issue 259, 2 November 1931, Page 3

EARLY TRAVELLERS.

NINE O'CLOCK CONTROVERSY

DISSATISFACTION IN SUBURBS

TRAINS AND MOTOR BUSES,

"You cannot judge a. man's capacity to pay by the time.he arrives at work. The idea that he should, pay more because he reaches the city at 9 o'clock instead of 8 and that he is not entitled to reduced fares on the trains is based upon a fallacy," said Mr. W. J. Nicholson, chairman of the Papatoetoe Town Board, to-day. He criticised a statement •by Mr. H. H. Sterling, General Manager of Railways, that the generality of people who arrive at work at 9 o'clock were economically in a different class from those who arrived earlier, and were, therefore, able to pay a higher fare.

"That distinction is a thing of the, past," continued Mr. Nicholson. "Mr. Sterling relies upon the argument of the cuff and collar brigade, as against the worker; and he. and the Railways Board must be led to see that there is no ground for "such an argument." Mr. Nicholson said there was no doubt that much hardship was caused by the Department's refusal to reduce the cost of the 6/6 weekly ticket and_ season ticket; and there was much business to be captured if others, who were now travelling by bus, were given .the necessary encouragement to patronise the trains.

At Manurewa, Papatoetoe and Otahuhu, he explained, a large part of the population was settled around the Great South Eoad, some distance from the railway line. If the bus and train fares were approximately the same many people would travel by the buees because of the greater convenience. At both ends of the journey there was a saving of time.

When the fares on the trains were revised and reductions were made last month the cost of the 6/6 weekly ticket remained as before, Mr. Nicholson stated, and season tickets were dearer than they were twelve months ago, in view of the increase of Id in 1/ when the new station wae opened. A Papakura resident, who had 'been a regular traveller by the. trains for twelve years, said that many workers who were now using the buees preferred rail travel but could not afford it. < They would go back to the railway immediately if they were given the worker'e concession to 9 o'clock. He said that a monthly ticket-holder was penalised to the extent of 4/6 a week, and. the person who bought a quarterly ticket paid 2/8 a week more from Papakura to Auckland than if he bought workers' weekly tickets for the same period. If the casual passenger should tbe tempted to nee the worker's privilege 'by an extension of the time to 9 o'clock, the railways would not lose.