OLD-TIME TRANSPORT

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXVI, Issue 147, 6 June 1936, Page 6

OLD-TIME TRANSPORT

Havelock North Bus Service MR. NIMON’S REMINISCENCES The surprising tact that one of the Hasciugs-Havelock .North buses owned Uy Messrs. Nimons, and bought ten years a o u. has n*u over a quarter ot a uuuiuu miles, was mentioned by air. W. Nimon in an address given by unu to the Hastings notary dub at ns luncheon yesteruay. Another bus, uougui in 1929, said Mr. Nimon, had run r65,OiA) nines, one bought in 1933 nau run <4,iXA> miles, and one bought last year had run 80,91 i miles, the benzine consumed was 6909 gallons, wnicu worked out at 11 mnes a gallon. A particularly interesting part of Mr. Nimon s address »a» Ins relerence to the pioneering work done by his iatber, who, in 1905, bought the Hast-ings-Havelock bus service, and the house called Lucknow Lodge, 'lhe plant then consisted ot two horsebuses and nine horses, lhe two buses, which many old residents would remember, were named "Lucknow" and "Keliet, ’ in memory ot incidents connected with cue Siege ot Lucknow. In those days, adued Mr. Nuuou, it took about hali-au-hour to cover the distance between Havelock and Hastings, and otten the early bus used to be galloped along Russell street (then fetation street) to unable passengers to catch the <.30 tram to Napier. "The durability of the bodies was wonderful,” said Mr. Nimon. ‘1 believe the coachbuilding trade was a real art in those 4ays.” Mr. Nimon went on to say that the family's first purchase ot a rnotorvehicle was in 1913, and he believed It p be the first electnc-iight model of its type in Hawke’s Bay. The electric equipment was rather complicated, and it was not long before the bus was equipped with acetylene lamps and a generator. The vehicle was later converted into a 12-seater bus.” Mr. Nimon then went on to recall the strenuous times that he and his brothers had in making long-distance ,trips before the daya when people pwned their own cars. A tnp with a football team to Dannevirke, he said, took between six and seven hours each Before the earthquake. Mr. Nimon »uded, the number ot single trips on an ordinary day was 38, with late buses on four nights a week. To-day the minimum number of single trips a day was 50, and on Saturdays 66. The fleet consisted of four buses. The •nnual compulsory license fee on only one 23-seater was £56 8, which included registration, plates, compulsory insurance, heavy-traffic license, gnd vehicle inspection fee. In thanking Mr. Nimon, Mr. Mason recalled his early experiences ot transport between Hastings and Havelock. He remembered, he said, that the first motor-bus was considered to be a most wonderful means of transport. He could remember whole families riding in drays to visit their friends, and one family* who, using a horse-dray, used to take two days coming from \Vaimarama .to Hastings.