FEWER BUSES

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume 51, Issue 3132, 17 June 1942, Page 5

FEWER BUSES

REDUCTION IN SERVICES PLAINS AND PENINSULA PROPOSED CURTAILMENT The Hauraki Plains, Coromandel, Mercury Bay and Thames district commuters will shortly have to endure a considerable reduction in their service-bus communication with Auckland. Messrs William White and Ltd., have been requested by the Transport Department, to effect a 59 per cent. reduction of bus service on week-days and a 100 per cent, reduction on Sundays. The question exercised the minds of members of the Council of the Thames . Chamber of Commerce at the last meeting, when a letter from Mr Leo .White was read. Mr White explained -that the firm, recognising the absolute urgency of the rubber problem, had been willing to make severe cuts in their services, even to the extent of 33 1-3. per cent, curtailment on week-days and a 100 per cent, curtailment on Sundays, but they considered the demand for. a 50' per cent, cut “beyond all reason.” Mr White pointed out that such a cut would' immediately abolish any semblance \of a bus service to the Hauraki Plains,, Maramarua, Mangatawhiri, Coromandel and Mercury Bay inasmuch as every bus would be absolutely full all the time. Reduction by Half Mr White said further that if a 50' per cent, reduction could be made on Sundays’ it would be handy, for soldiers on leave and people going to the city for week-end business. This point was stressed by speakers in the animated discussion that followed the reading of Mr White’s letter. Soldiers, it was stated, were often given

24 hours’ leave at home, necessitating their return to camp on Sunday night. Also, people had to return from Auckland in time for Monday morning’s business. Loss’of the Sunday services would be a great handicap to the town of Thames. The Chamber also received from the chairman of the Coromandel County Council, Mr C. C. Rae, a copy of a letter he had dispatched to the No. 1 Transport Licensing Authority emphatically protesting against the proposed, curtailment of the Auck-land-Thames-Coromandel bus service before the residents could be given an opportunity of stating their case. Saying it was aware of the acuteness of the petrol and rubber situation, the council stressed the'fact that the whole of the business on the peninsula would be affected if the bus service, the district’s regular daily means of communication with Auckland and other parts of the Dominion, were to be curtailed. It was added that, as long as a road service parallelled the railway anywhere in New Zealand, so long should the Auck-land-Coromandel service be left undisturbed.

Yet another letter dealt with the matter. It was from Mr W. H. Heald, general storekeeper at Whitianga, who pointed out that the suggested time-table alterations 1 would not allow the Whitianga-Thames service car to connect with the Auckland car. After considerable discussion, Mr W. Bongard moved that the question of bus-service curtailments be relegated to a sub-committee, which should be instructed to draft a letter to the No. 1 Transport Licensing Authority, requesting retention of an efficient service. The motion was carried, the president, secretary and Mr Bongard being appointed members of the sub-committee.