FURTHER RAILWAY CUT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVIII, Issue 17873, 30 August 1921, Page 4

FURTHER RAILWAY CUT.

NORTH ISLAND SERVICE.

THE "SECOND" EXPRESSES.

ONLY THREE DAYS WEEKLY.

COMMENCEMENT ON MONDA

r BY TELECRAPH.—OWN* CORRESPONDENT.]

WET.T.INGTON. Monday

Another cut is to be made in the railway service. The ''fecond" expresses on the North Island Main Trunk line are to be run only on three days in the wc«k— Mondays, Wednesdays, and the services on the Nelson and Picton lines are to be reduced.

The Government has been watching the railway returns carefully, and as a result of the latest figures showing that for the period April 1 to July 23 the working expenses absorbed 99.77 per cent, of the revenue the Cabinet has decided that further savings must be effected.

The Minister for Railways, Hon. D. H. Guthrie, made a statement on the subject to-day. He said the returns published in the Gazette last week showed that <■ r the period ended July 23 Lhe percentage of working expenses to revenue for the North Island lines was 94.29, and for the South Island lines 107.73, the average for ali lines being 99.77 per cent. The total revenue for all lines up to July 23 was £2.124.742, and the expenditure £2.119.841, leaving a net revenue of ontv £4901. " Poorly Patronised."

Apparently there were no indications of any immediate increase in the railway •traffic. Indeed, there were indications of a further decline for the present month as compared with the similar period of last ■ year. As a consequence of the falling off | in passenger traffic the North Island Main Trunk expresses between Wellington and Auckland were poorly patronised. Indeed, the total number of passengers car- . ried by »the two trains each way amounted : in the to only one train-load each way. The mid-day Auckland-Wei- , lington express seldom carried more than two car-loads of passengers from Auck- : land, Frankton, and Taumarunui, while I the night train was also run with half a load, except on Sunday nights, when a I considerable number of passengers tra- ] veiled from Auckland to Pukekohe and Frankton. The 'total number of passen- ! gers by the two trains was not more than ! a lead for one.

The same position obtained right through the journey to Wellington, where the first express arrived with two carloads of passengers, and the second express seldom more than half full.

Going north to Auckland, the midday express leaving Wellington, was only half filled, and this position remained * practically unchanged to Auckland. The night train from Wellington was also poorly patronised. The total traffic could be dealt with by one train.

Cost of the Expresses. The cost of running an express between Wellington and Auckland, said the Minister, was £511 a day, or £3066 a week, over £160.000 per year. A very considerable portion of the passengers who used the Auckland-Wellington expresses were short-distance travellers only, and for these people other trains were available.

" It is beyond question," said the Minister, " that at the present time the passenger traffic between Auckland and Wellington can be fully catered for by running one train each way daily, and the " second " express, that is, the midday train from Auckland to Wellington, and the night train from Wellington, to Auckland, on three days a week only. This reduction will be made, and will effect a saving of £1500 a week, without imposing any serious inconvenience on legitimate travel."

Kelson and Blenheim. The Minister added that the earnings on the Nelson line between Belgrove and Glenhope were less than £400 per fourweekly period, while the cost of the train service for the four weeks was £1241. The earnings on the Picton section between Blenheim and Wharenui were about £450 per four weeks, and the cost of the services was £1574. It was proposed to curtail the train services on both these sections immediately. The changes, including the reduction in the Wellington-Auckland expresses, he added, would come into operation next Monday. A Few Statistics.

The express trains running on the Wel-lington-Auckland line have accommodation for 350 passengers. Some figures taken at random will serve to indicate the extent of the traffic in recent weeks.

On July 27. the first express from Auckland took 162 passengers, and the second express 66 passengers. On August 3, the first express took 201 passengers, and the second express 117. On August 11, the first- express took 169 passengers, and the second express 57. The official returns show that these trains tended to lose passengers between Auckland and Taumarunui.

The traffic the other way has shown a similarly unprofitable state of affairs.

TEMPORARY CURTAILMENT.

PROBABLY THREE MONTHS. [BY TELEGRAPH —PRESS ASSOCIATION.] WELLINGTON, Monday. In announcing the latest curtailment in the railway service to-day the Hon. D. H. Guthrie said it must be remembered that the present period was always the worst a? far as railway revenue was concerned. He hoped 'that by the end of November matters would have improved to .such an extent that the department mightise able to re-establish the full service again. " INTER*ERENCE " WITH PLANS. WELLINGTON CHAMBER'S VIEW. [BY TELEGRAPH—PRESS ASSOCIATION.] WELLINGTON. Monday. The Wellington Chamber of Commerce to-day resolved that " this chamber deprecates interference by politicians and others with the Railway Department in its efforts to curtail expenditure, and requests that the influence of chambers o f commerce throughout the Dominion be directed toward helping the department to carry out its arrangements for profitably working the railwavs."