THE KINGSTON-QUEENSTOWN SERVICE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22125, 1 December 1933, Page 7

THE KINGSTON-QUEENSTOWN SERVICE

TO THE EDITOR. Sib,—l desire to express dissatisfaction with the fares charged by the railway service on Lake Wakatipu. Having obtained a situation at the Kawarau Falls station for the wool season, I inquired at the railway station at my home town, Temuka; concerning the fare to Kawarau Falls wool shed, which is situated on the lake side 10 miles from Queenstown. The official in charge stated he would book me to Queenstown, and said this booking would entitle me to land at Kawarau wool shed if the steamer had to call with cargo. Inquiries at Kingston elicited the information that the steamer was calling at this wharf to unload cargo. When the mate of the boat collected the tickets I stated my destination_ to him, whereupon he demanded an additional Is lid fare to land me at Kawarati wool shed, notwithstanding the fact that the boat had to call there with cargo. On my refusing to pay for this excessive charge, my name and address were taken, and I was advised I would hear more about it. Through cases like this the railway service is surely driving the travelling public to the motor service, from which one can depend upon receiving value for one’s money. This appears to explain the Government’s reluctance to finish the Kingston road, as the authorities must be afraid that the long-suffering public is really “fed up” with this costly service and with the useless expenditure of money that is badly needed for deserving objects. I understand that a special steamer was sent from Queenstown to Kingston last evening to collect .Mr Sterling (chairman of the Railways Board) and his large staff. How long is the Government going to waste public money, as a steamer service earlier in the day should have been sufficient for Mr Sterling’s requirements, as it has to be for the travelling public, which has the added luxury of paying for the trip? From inquiries made, I was informed that it costs £3O to charter the steamer between Kingston and Queenstown. Will this money be deducted from Mr Sterling’s salary, or will the public again be required to pay?—l am, etc., Disgusted, Kawarau Falls, November 27. [The district traffic manager, Dunedin, to whom the contents of the above letter were referred, informs us that our correspondent asked for a ticket at Temuka to the wool shed on the lake, and was supplied with a ticket to Queenstown in error, the fare for which is ss. The correct fare to the wool shed is 6s lid, so that the passenger was not overcharged in being asked to pay an additional Is lid. An extra charge has always been made to isolated points on the lake. With reference to the statement regarding Mr Sterling, we are informed that the trip would not have been undertaken had it not been reasonably necessary, and that the amount mentioned by our correspondent as the cost of the trip is ridiculously overstated.—Ed., O.D.T.]