MAIN TRUNK EXPRESS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVI, Issue 17268, 18 September 1919, Page 6

MAIN TRUNK EXPRESS.

EXTRA TRAIN TO-MORROW.

HEAVY BOOKING ALREADY.

THE ROTORUA SERVICE.

An extra express train is to leave Auckland for Wellington to-morrow at 7.10 p.m.

The first train this week from Wellington., which arrived yesterday morning, was a full train, the 11 coaches accommodating over 300 passengers. The next through train from Wellington is due on Saturday morning. The train that left for Wellington last night was a full train, the whote of the seating accommodation having been reserved by Tuesday afternoon, while the booking for the extra train on Friday nignt is heavy, indicating that there will be no seate vacant when the train steams out. A steady stream of applications is being received for next Monday's train, while inquiries are already being received for the two other trains eet down in next week's schedule. All these trains are being restricted to one engine load, and it is therefore impossible to provide more than one sleeping car to each train. As has been the case since the restrictions on travelling were imposed preference is given to long-distance passengers, but all are still required to obtain permits to travel.

The Main Trunk trains provided under the new time-table, which comes into operation next week, comprise expresses leaving Auckland for Wellington and Wellington for Auckland on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The second of the two expresses from Rotorua to Auckland reached the city yesterday afternoon on time, carrying over 300 passengers. " The first of the expresses from Auckland to Rotorua is timed to leave this morning, and judging by the booking the traffic promises to be equal to the capacity of the train. The booking for Saturday's train to Rotorua is also well advanced. Under the time-table announced for next week, and until further notice, there will be expresses for Rotorua on Tuesday Thursday, and Saturday, the trains to the' city running on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. ONLY REASON FOR THE OUT. COAL SUPPLY NOW IMPROVED. Reference to the restrictions on the use of the railways was made by Mr. R. W. McVilly, general manager of the service, at the anniversary dinner of the Commercial Travellers' Association in Wellington. Mr. McVilly said the shortage of coal wag absolutely and solely the cause of the cut in the railway service. The question of the rolling stock need not be considered. - " The Department, early in the war, was relieved of the duty of "looking after its own coal supplies. We were put on the same footing as any other industry. The whole of the coal supplies were placed under the charge of the Munitions and Supplies Department, and we were rationed the same as anybody else." i Mr. McVilly continued that he had been over 40 years in the Railway Department, and last July was the first occasion on which the Department had been compelled to put the public to inconvenience. That inconvenience was not the result of any short-sightedness on the part cf the Department. " People can camouflage it as much as they like, but it still comes to this, that what the country is suffering from a shortage of coal." He was glad to say that conditions had improved within the past fortnight; but they wanted the position to be absolutelyassured before they could sav there would be no further *' cutting." It was safe to say that at the earliest moment the retrictions would be removed.