THE HOLIDAY SEASON.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19809, 2 December 1927, Page 12

THE HOLIDAY SEASON.

HEAVY TRAFFIC EXPECTED.

RAILWAYS ARRANGEMENTS. EXTRA EXPRESSES PROVIDED. Heavy tourist traffic from overseas is assured to the Dominion this summer by steamer bookings and there is every roason to anticipate a great movement of New Zealanders. Times may have been hard but the prospects are much brighter and there is thus the incentive, if incentive be needed, for people to travel and enjoy their own wonderful country. There is a general belief in the sound idea in Now Zealand that an annual holiday is a necessity and while holidays must bo arranged to suit tho conditions of one's purse, tho result during the next few months will be an immense amount of travelling for so small a population. Tho Railway Department has prepared a more elaborate schedule of train services than ever before and the motor transport firms anticipate a record amount of road traffic. The number of private motorists has been steadily increasing and more of them will make island and Dominion tours. By camping by the way they are able to save the cost of hotels -and are thus able to go farther afield than they otherwise could. Tho provision of camping places in many con venient localities has facilitated this form of travel, and tho probabilities are that during the Christmas vacation some of the highways will be uncomfortably crowded. But that will not deter those who hear the call of the open road. All they worry about is weather. Given fine weather nothing else will really matter. ' ■ ,

Railway excursion fares will be obtainable from December 14 to January 5, the tickets being available for return up to February 11. The substantial reduction on ordinary rates is an important consideration for many people, and in spite of motor competition trains will bo packed for the holiday period. Daylight expresses will bo run between Auckland and Wellington from next Saturday and will be continued as long as they remain payable. Thus from next Saturday there will be three expresses each way over the Main Trunk line. In addition a number of relief expresses will be run On December 22 and 23 and January 2, 3 and 4, relief trains will leave Auckland for Wellington at 8.40 p.nu, and on December 24 one will leave at 2 p.m. From Wellington rolief trains will run to Auckland on December 21 and 22, making a total of five, will run on December 23 and 24, and there will be an extra one on January 2, 3 and 4. Further, on December 24 the trains usually running from Taumarunui to Frankton will proceed all the way to Auckland. Special trains will leave Te Kuiti for Auckland en the evenings of December 23, 24 and 31, and another from Frankton to Auckland on the evening of December 28. For Rotorua a special train will leave Auckland at 10.20 p.m. on December 23, and on Christmas Day a special train will leave Frankton for Rotorua at 5.30 a.m. returning at 5.15 p.m., connecting with main line services. Between Auckland and Whangarei there will be special'' relief expresses on December 23, 24 and January 2, 3 and 4, leaving the city at 9.15 a.m., and Whangarei at 12.35 p.m., and on December 23 a special train will leave Auckland for Opua at 10.30 p.m., another leaving Opua' at 8.15 p.m. These and similar arrangements in southern districts indicate that the Railway Department is out for business and there is uo doubt that is to be secured.