NEW PLYMOUTH EXPRESS.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLII, Issue XLII, 22 June 1923, Page 5

NEW PLYMOUTH EXPRESS.

PROTEST AGAINST CHANGES.

(By Telegraph—Special to Star.) WELLINGTON, June 21. A deputation met the Premier and the Hon. J G. Coates, Minister for Railways, to-day to urge the reinstatement of certain stons for the New Plymouth mail. Mr. G. V. Pear; e introduced the deputation, which comprised Messrs. D. S." Richardson, A. T Main J- H. Berry, T. E. Wilson, and C rlenty. They urged that the train should stop at Waitotara, Ball road, and Mokoia. Ihe deputation said that to stop the tram would require only six minutes in all. District traffic in passengers and parcels was being carried by motor cars m competition with the railway, and the only other train serving these districts was a luggage train with one carriage, which travelled at about ten miles an hour. Producers were being penalised for the sake of commercial trayehers and chambers of commerce, and the* mails are delivered 12 hours later since these stops were cut out The Genera] Manager for Railways (Mr. R. W. McVilly) said that the stops were cut out at the request of a conference of the chambers of commerce tor the general speeding up of the express trains, and the decision had not been come to in a moment. The department was given to understand that the change was universally desired If the stops were restored there would be requests from other centres for like treatment. The speeding up had resulted in a saving o f 50 minutes on the VYe'lington-New PlymoTith run. Tlie Minister of Railways (Hon. J. G. Coates) said that he would look into the matter and furnish the deputation with a decision later. When'he was in the Taranaki district recently requests were made that the train skould stop at two centres other than those mentioned by the deputation.