PASSENGER's FAST TRIP

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXVI, 16 June 1932, Page 2

PASSENGER's FAST TRIP

WONDERFUL TRAIN SERVICE FROM GLASGOW IN 28 DAYS “Starting from Glasgow, I have completed the journey from Scotland to New Zealand in 28 days, travelling under the Union Jack the entire .way,” said Mr Ernest Lewis, managing director of the Rover Company" of New Zealand, Limited, on his return by the Aorangi from a busincs visit to Britain. 'Mr Lewis said his fast journey was made possible by the remarkable thoroughness of the service provided by the Canadian Pacific Railway, which he called “a model for the whole world.” “Owing to fog and icebergs,” lie said, “we were too late getting to Quebec to catch the train to connect with the Aorangi at Vancouver. There were only tliyee of us doing the through trip in addition to the mails. I was astonished to find that a special train with drawing room car and dining facilities had been prepared and within 50 minutes of the ship tieing up at Quebec we were flying across Canada in chase of the western express. “Our train had to go hundreds of miles to a little junction north of Ottawa before we learned that we had overtaken the express by taking a loop line. An official of the Canadian Railway was there to see that we were all right. We got out into the darkness and another man appeared. He announced that lie was a Canadian Pacific Railway police inspector, who ‘had just got a wire to come down and see your baggage was transferred safely.’ This happened at 10 o’clock on' Saturday night.

“We did not go through Montreal at all, and I was worried because I knew there might be cables from England and from New Zealand. I mentioned this to the railway people in Quebec. On Sunday morning we stopped at a little place on the north shore of the Great Lakes. I got out to look round and heard my name being called. It was the stationmaster, who had a telegram telling me to call at the next station to get a relayed cable. Late the same night another official sought me out some .hundreds of miles further on and handed me another cable sent on from Montreal. At Winnipeg a passenger department inspector came along ‘to see if we were 0.K.,’ as he put it.

“When we got to Vancouver the overseas passenger department had a man there to meet us with a porter to take our luggage to the ship. He got out our heavy luggage, put it through the various officials in charge, directed us right to the ship and then quietly disappeared without waiting to be thanked.

“Now all this service was given by men in decent positions to whom one woi . J not dream of offering a tip. It was just genuine service in the real sense if that very much al-vsed word. Nothing that I tan say can be too good to describe the wonderful way of the Canadian Pacific Railway, on land and on sea.”