HOLIDAY TRAFFIC.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXV, Issue 13948, 3 January 1906, Page 7

HOLIDAY TRAFFIC.

TRAMS AND TRAINS. Th© Christchurch trams carried 36,564 passengers on Monday on various routes. Tho Sumner line is credited with 9619, Papanui 11,678, Cashmere 4787, Lincoln Road 1873, Now Brighton 3283, Riccarton * 2322, Railway, via Manchester Street 3092. About 5000 of the Papanui total travelled to the Christchurch Railway terminus. Tho totals for Christchurch on recent holidays have been large, but they have been insignificant compared with the tallies of Dunedin, Auckland and Wellington. These aggregates, however, are deceptive, and do not give a conclusive idea of tho relative volumes of traffic. Th© Christchurch Tramway Board, for instance, counts as one a person who goes from the city to Sumner, a distance embracing six sections, but if tho Wellington system prevailed here this traveller would .make six passengers. There new tickets aie issued for each section, and a passenger becomes a fresh traveller at the ©nd of each section. It is considered that similar modes of reckoning prevail at Dunedin and Auckland. Under tho circumstances a total of 36,000 for one day in Christchurch, with long routes such as those to Sumner, New Brighton, Papanui and Riccarton makes an amount of travelling which the other centres of the colony can scarcely surpass. Tho railways were also exceedingly busy on Monday. The bookings to Lyttelton from Christchurch and Linwood closely approached 14,800, and it is estimated that the total number of people conveyed to the port, including through passengers from the country, ran into 20,000. Trains running to various parts of Canterbury for sports gatherings took about 2200 people. In keeping this great traffic rolling smoothly th© railway staff naturally had a trying day, but the men were equal to their responsibilities. The intricate programme was . carried cut without a bitch. Tho trains ran well to time, and there was no accident to mar the day’s excellent achievement.