Hawke's Bay Herald SATURDAY, DECEMBER 18, 1886. RAILWAYS V. STEAMBOATS.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXII, Issue 7620, 18 December 1886, Page 2

Hawke's Bay Herald SATURDAY, DECEMBER 18, 1886. RAILWAYS V. STEAMBOATS.

"WE notice by our Wellington exchanges that the opening of the Mahawatu Rail- ' way Company's line has caused a reduction in steamboat fares along the coast from Wellington to New Plymouth. The railway fare was less than the old steamer fares, but now the latter have been reduced to little more thau half the old rates. It is. time that the Union Company considered the question of further reducing the fares between Napier and Wellington if they desire to keep any considerable portion of the traffic. It may not be generally known, but it is a fact, that the overland journey is now cheaper than the sea-vonte. " A Traveller," writing to the Evening Post, says -.—"lt is generally supposed that travelling by steamer is cheaper than land travelling by. railway. I was therefore agreeably surprised 'on my journey from Napier to Wellington via the Manawatu Company's line, lo find I had made a saving by adopting that route in preference to coming by the Union Company's steamers, whose fir-tt-elass fare is £2 10s. I left N::;>'.'.'r m V.-o a.m., and travelled firstclass by train. I. arrived at Tahoraite at 12.30, fare 16s Bd. I then proceeded by coach to Palmerston, where I arrived at 5 p.m., fare 10s. I left again at 5.25 for Wellington, where I arrived punctually at 10 p.m. Fare 18s Bd, and cost of lunch at Tahoraite 2s, making a total of 47s 4d for the through journey from Napier to Wellington, the time occupied being fourteen hours and thirty-five minutes. This time will be materially reduced by the completien of the railway fronij Tahoraite to Woodville, which is expected in' February next." Until recently the steamer fare, first-class, was £3, but we believe it is now, as stated I above, £2 10s for the single journey, and £4 for the return. The single • journey, therefore, is still cheaper overland than by water, and to enter into successful competition the Union Company must still further reduce their charges. To comnete with the railways steamboat travelling must be cheaper. As a rule, railways are preferred to steamboats by travellers. This is not so universal in New Zealand as in Europe, because the colonists are more accustomed to travelling by water, anil at equal fares, there are not a few who would prefer to jonrney iv a well-fitted steamer, with comfortable meals, and a bed to sleep in, than in a cramped railway carriage with its perpetual vibration and noise, and a hastily-snatched meal once in fourteen lioius. We confess that of the two steamboat travelling presents the greater attraction to us, but to those who suffer from the mol-dc-mcr the reverse is the case. The railway also has one great advantage over steamers on this coast, in offering to take passengers any day in the week at fixed hours, instead of once or twice a week at irregular hours. We repeat, then, that the direqtors of the Union Company must make a greater reduction in the fares between Napier and Wellington than that recently conceded if they wish to keep any trade worth consideration. When the railway is opened to Woodvillo the overland journey from Napier will cost very little over £2, and will not occupy much more than twelve hours, and from country stations the comparison, both as to cost and time, will be still more in favor of the overland route. We do not write in any spirit of antagonism to the Union Company, but in a friendly way we point' out to the directors the facts as they exist.