RAILWAY REFORM.

Evening Post, Volume LXXVII, Issue 111, 12 May 1909, Page 3

RAILWAY REFORM.

CONFERENCE AT PALMERSTON. FACTS AND FIGURES. (BT TEiJGBAPH. — BMCIAL TO THK POST.'I PALMERSTON N., This Day. Representatives from the Napier, Carterton, Masterton, Feilding, Palmerston, and Dannevirke Chambers of Commerce met in Palmernton North yesterday to discuss the revision of the railway timetable, rendered necessary to dovetail with the Main . Trunk service. Mr. J. M. Johnston, president of the Palmerston Chamber, outlined a few of the anomalies it was desired to amend. It was considered, he said, now that the Manawatu line had been taken over, and the Main Trunk opened, that the community interested must refuse to accept the usual departmental reply : "The existing business is not sufficient to justify the expenditure involved in running such trains," etc They desired more frequent and faster services between the railway sections on the East and West Coast, and with the Main Trunk line, and a faster intermediate service. It appeared very strange that a through connection in one day to New Plymouth from any point north of Dannevirke and south of Masterton, or from any point north of Wanganui to any point beyond Dannevirke and Masterton, should be so long refused. To go from Wellington to New Plymouth, via Wairarapa, 297 miles, required one day of 13hrs 58mins training, and the next day of 9hrs 32mins, to reach this point. And from Napier, 280 miles, required about the same time, staying overnight at Wanganui, Dannevirke, or Masterton, as the case might be. The Wellington-Napier express, via Woodville to Palmerston North, reached Palmerston North twenty minutes after the Main Trunk train had left for Auckland. From Napier to Aramoho, 173 miles, takes 12hrs 15mins, with a wait of one hour at Woodville and lhr 50min no Palmerston North. He had prepared a table of distances and times, which showed some strange anomalies, but the following would suffice as examples : The 4.7 o'clock afternoon train from Wellington to Masterton left just 18mins before the overland express reached Wellington. Waipukurau was fast becoming a large stock centre for supplying this Coast with store stock, and it was impossible to attend the saie and return the same day, as the time allowed was only lhr 7min. The distance is 69 miles, but one can go from Palmerston North to Wanganui and back, 63 miles, and stay there 4hrs 2(3min. He compared our train services with those of the South Island 1 . Two express trains, he said, had been running from Invercargill to Christchurch, and vice-versa, for some years. Since the Main Trunk line was opened there were two from Wellington to 'Marton, and from Marton to Wellington. With this exception, no increased through service had taken piace on the New Plymouth-Napier- Wellington section. He thought the figures and profits of the department proved they were entitled to increased service. He 'quoted as follows : Hurunui-Bluff Section, 1903. 1288 miles of working. £ Passengers, 4,165,792 366,396 Season tickets, 74,819 35,255 Parcels, etc., 540,127 ... 85,759 Live stock, 2,455,921, and goods (tons), 1,986,509 ... 692,30 l Miscellaneous 39,132 £1,218,903 Net revenue, £287,195, equal to *i 2 7s lOd per cent, on cost of construction (£11,997,562), or a return of £223 per mile. Against :—: — New Plymouth-Napier-Wellington Section. 490 miles of working railway. £ Passengers, 3,175,963 279,081 Season tickets, 59,877 24,916 Parcels, etc., 281,614 56,805 Live stock, 1,959,984, and goods (tons), 791,300 ... 398,850 Miscellaneous 27,189 £786,842 Net revenue, £255,852, equal to £4 11s 8d per cent, on cost of construction (£5,580,650), or a return of £522 per mile. These figures were worth attentive study. These Southern sections, not including the West Coast, Nelson, or Picton lines, consist of 1288 miles, against 490 miles in the south of the North Island, or over two and a half times more mileage, but the Northern section returned nearly two and a half times more profit per mile, and on construction cost the North returned £2 3s lOd per cent, more profit than the South. He thought this was very strong proof that they were justly entitled to greater facilities, and the department could afford to give them on the figures quoted. They were taken from the Railway Statement of 1908. This year's are not yet out. When one considered the great advantage of taking over the Manawatu line, ,a great increase mift be the result. Comparing the speed of ordinary trains South with our service, between here and Wanganui, he found generally »the trains are run faster in the South. He gave the following examples :—: — The morning trnin from Sterling to Dunedin, fifty miles, takes 3 hours, stops thirteen time*-, and may stop seven times ; against, from Palmerston North to 'Fordell, fifty-one miles, with six stops, and may stop twelve times, takes 3 hours 34 minutes. From Orepuki to Invercargill, fortyeight miles: Stops nine times, may stop eighteen times, takes 2 hours 45 minut€6. Dunedin to Dunback, over 'Blue Skin .Cliff, with severe grades, fifty" miles : Eight stops, fifteen may stops, only takes 4 hours. Christchurch to Ashburton, fifty-three miles : Eleven stops, eight may stops, good grades, takes 2 hours 45 minutes. Christchurch-Culverden - Christchurch - Waikari, fifty miles : Eleven stops, ten may stops, climbs. 733 ft, takes 3 hours. Palmerston - Wanganui, sixty-three miles : Takes 4 hours 20 minutes, stops seven times, may stop fifteen times. The evening train does the same distance in 10 minutes less. Palmerston North-Paekakariki, sixtyone miles : Takes 3 hours 50 minutes, five stops, ten may stops. The ev«ning train, with seven stops and eight may stops, takes 3 hours 25 minutes, or 25 minutes less than the morning train. Mr. Johnston said there* was no dnsiro to -cajl for local benefits. Other speakers dwelt on the weakness of the service, resulting from the fact that there were centres for the East Coast (Woodville) and also for the West Coast (iPulmerston). It was considered that if there was only one centre the services on the two coasts could be dovetailed more satisfactorily. It was resolved to urge the Minister for Railways-^-To expedite the Nopier-Palmerston •express, so that it would connect with the ■Auekland-'Wellington express at Palmerston. To put on a train from PalmersloTi to Napier after the arrival of the Wel-lington-Auckland and New PlymouthWellington expresses in the afternoon. To attach a dining-car to the NapierWellington mail trnin via Wairarapa. To arrange that the trains from Napier stopping at Woodvillo should come on. and depart from Palmei-tan,

That the North train now leaving Masterton at 6.30 a.m. should start from Featherston instead, and be timed to reach. Palmerston to catch the New Plymouth mail. That the train leaving Masterton at 9.10 p.m. for JTeatherston be delayed so as to take passengers on who reach •Masterton by the 10 p.m. train, or, in the alternative, That the last-mentioned train be timed to -arrive earlier, so as to catch the 9.10 Masterton to Featherston train. i .That a connection at Woodville bo | made for the train to iMasterton and south with the proposed early train to Napier. Other proposals dealt with the needs of Dannevirke and Feilding. 'A deputation representing the whole of the chambers at the meeting will lay the proposals before the Minister.