DRURY TRAIN SERVICE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 14109, 10 July 1909, Page 6

DRURY TRAIN SERVICE.

AGITATION FOR CONTINUANCE. A deputation of Drury and Pukekohe residents waited upon the executive of the Auckland ' Agricultural and Pastoral Association yesterday, with a view to getting that body to make representations to the Minister for Railways, to reconsider his decision to suspend the early and late train service between Auckland and Drury. Mr. J. Flanagan said the residents concerned were unable to see how there was a loss of £1800 a year on the running of the service. They felt confident that if supplied with the figures they would be able to show that if the train was not already paying its way it was paying pretty well, and that if continued it would soon prove to be one of the best paying trains in the Dominion. It seemed that the; cost of running this service was based upon the same lines as that of running the Auckland to Rotorua service, which was altogether preposterous, for the Auckland-Drury service was not anything like as good. ' ... Mi. Lupton, another member of the deputation, contended that the service had not been given a fair trial, as almost immediately after it was (started it" was knocked off.

The president of the association (Mr I Grey) agreed with the deputation that they had been badly treated. Whenever he had patronised the train he had found difficulty in getting a seat. Mr. J. G. Rutherford said that if the train were stopped the service to Drury would not be any better than it was 35 years ago. < It was decided to write to the Minister urging him to continue the service. As the deputation retired Mr. Flanagan said : ''I think if we make enough noise we shall be able to carry our point." A strong and influential deputation also waited upon Mr. Bart. Kent, chairman of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce yesterday, with reference to the above! and asked to be allowed to lay their case before the executive of the Chamber. The deputation claimed that the cessation of the running of the late train to Drurv would entail a great deal of discomfort and hardship upon many settlers in that district, and they asked for an opportunity to prove their case. "The Chamber, in such circumstances, is bound to afford an opportunity for this being done," remarked Mr. Kent to a Herald representative yesterday, "and at a very early date, probably next week, the matter will receive full ventilation. I am told that the basis of capitation upon which the Minister for Railways states the late train to Drury does not pay is both unreasonable and unfair, and this, of course, will have to be carefully looked into."