NEW RAILWAY TIME-TABLE.

Evening Post, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 130, 29 November 1909, Page 7

NEW RAILWAY TIME-TABLE.

COMPLAINT FROM TARANAKI. MINISTER SPEAKS PLAINLY. Representatives of local bodies from Hawera to New Plymouth waited on the Minister of Railways this morning and complained of the fact that under the new time-table the train reaches New Plymouth at 9.20 p.m. instead oE j 8 p.m. as at present. The chief points j were that the new time-table would interfere with the steamer trade between the Breakwater and Onehunga, as the ' Northern Steamship Company had been deterred from putting on three steamers a week instead of two; that the revenue of the Harbour Board, which had lately raised a big loan for development purposes, would be seriously curtailed ; and that the later arrival of the train would mean serious inconvenience to settlers all along the line. The Hon. J. A. Millar, in replying, pointed out that Taranaki, which formerly was the main line, and had to be dealt with specifically, was now superseded by the North Island Main Trunk line, and the time-table had to be made so as to work in with the latter. He was very sorry to have to tell them that no alteration could be made in the meantime, because all arrangements had been made for bringing it into operation on 6th December. He did not agree with the objections of the Northern Steamship Company that the hours of running the train would prevent them running three steamers a week. The time-table would in the meantime have to be carried into operation, and he could also say, that there was nO chance of making the train arrive at New Plymouth at 8 p.m. He could only get it- "speeded up" from Palmerston North, and he would see what could be done in that direction. He pointed out, however, that in framing the new timetable he had endeavoured to give effect to expressed wishes from the Wellington, Taranaki, Wairarapa, and Hawkes Bay districts, and the complaints so" far had been very few. In such a rearrangement some- places must suffer inconvenience. He hoped to be able to do something to meet their wishes — to the extent,-, perhaps, of making the train arrive at New Plymouth between 8.30 and -9 p.m., by decreasing the period of the stops at various places.