THE RAILWAYS DEPARTMENT AND PRIVATE MOTOR BUS SERVICES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21648, 19 May 1932, Page 8

THE RAILWAYS DEPARTMENT AND PRIVATE MOTOR BUS SERVICES

TO TIIIC EDITOR Sir, —The time table to come into force on the Roxburgh branch on the 23rd inet. is now advertised. From that date it will be impossible to travel by rail from Lawrence to Dunedin and return on the same day. The Railways Department cannot be expected to run passenger services if traffic does not warrant it. The department drove this traffic to the road through not catering for passenger traffic on this branch with a reasonable time table in the past. When the Licensing Board was sitting in Dunedin in March the Railways Department had a representative in attendance who appeared to press for an increase in bus fares. According to your report the proprietor of Hart’s LawrenceDunedin service stated that his fares were 10s return and 6s 6d single, and he was satisfied with these fares, but as the railway representative was after an increase the board fixed the fares at Lis return and 8s single. It would be inter-

esting to know if the railway representative produced, for the information of the board, a copy of the time table to operate from the 23rd inst. The Railways Department 'appears to have been inconsistent in this matter, as the following fixed bus fares will show;— Dunedin to Milton (30 miles), 4s single; Milton to Lawrence (2-1 miles). 4s single. Between Dunedin and Milton there are three trains (including express) running daily each way which cater for passengers. Between Milton and Lawrende on two days per week there is no train at all and on four days per week the train leaves Lawrence in the afternoon and returns in the evening. The fares are:— Dunedin to Clinton (74 miles), 16s return, 8s single; Lawrence to Dunedin (60 miles). 15s return, 8s single. Between Dunedin and Clinton there are three trains (including express) running daily each way which cater for passengers.. Between Lawrence and Dunedin there is no daily rail traffic at all. It is hard to understand the action of the Railways Department in pressing for such an increase in fares between Lawrence and Dunedin and then cutting out services. It would appear that the department is out to penalise the residents of this district, and incidentally to lower land values in this district, by making means of travel to Dunedin for businef« purposes prohibitive.—l am, etc., \ Lawrence, May 18. • Justice