BIG DAY ON MONDAY

Evening Post, Volume CXL, Issue 150, 22 December 1945, Page 8

BIG DAY ON MONDAY

PASSENGERS IN GOOD MOOD

For all their hurry to get away on holiday, passengers from Wellington have been consistently a good-hum-oured and happy crowd, said the stationmaster, Mr. A. C. Thomson, to a "Post" reporter who caught him with a free two minutes after the morning rush today. They had accepted the inevitable holiday conditions and the inability of the Department to provide exactly the seat and the class and the smoker or non-smoker applied for, and, by doing so, had eased the pressure upon the staff and had been able to get away all right.

Monday would be another very big ■day, said Mr. Thomson. Exclusive of the 8.30 a.m. and the 5.45 p.m. passenger trains for Palmerston North, and the usual rail-cars and Wairarapa trains, 13 express trains would leave. Auckland expresses were fully reserved, but there were still a few seats on the night trains to Wanganui, New Plymouth and Napier. Thursday had been a heavy and difficult day, for there were five specials outwards with troops, three to Auckland and one each to Napier-Gisborne and New Plymouth. Although the two first boat trains were delayed by the late arrival of the ship, the ether three got away to time. "This year we have about fifty high school boys to help us out, and they have done remarkably well with the luggage, the parcels, and in. car washing. They have got round in great style and seemingly have enjoyed the work," said Mr. Thomson. "We enjoyed their assistance, too, for the quantity of luggage this Christmas is phenomenal. Parcels traffic, too, has been very heavy indeed —proof that there are both more goods and more money about this Christmas."