PASSENGER SERVICE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23320, 12 October 1937, Page 9

PASSENGER SERVICE

CULVERDEN AND WESTPORT RAILWAYS GRANTED LICENCE (Per United Press Association) CHRISTCHURCH, Oct. 11. A licence to operate a continuous passenger service between Culverden and Westport by way of the Lewis Pass road and Reefton has been granted to the Railways Department by a reserved decision of the Licensing Authority for the No. 3 Transport District (Mr T. H. Langford), which was released to-day. The decision stipulates that. the service is to be begun not later than December 1, 1937. The only other application considered was made by T. S. Patterson, of Reefton. A third application was withdrawn. The licence, which will expire on August 31, 1938, permits any of the vehicles operated by the department to be used for the service. The fares have been fixed at 45s single and 60s return. A schedule of charges for parcels to be carried by the passenger service is to be submitted to the authority for approval at a later date. The application by the department was granted, the decision states, under the right given to the department under section 27 of the Transport Licensing Act, 1931, which states that the Minister of Railways is to be given preference over all other applications if “ there is no existing transport service over the route or routes mentioned in the application." The Act also stipulates that the proposed service must be an extension of the existing service carried on by the applicant, a condition which the department undoubtedly satisfies. A further ground given in the decision is that where large sums of public money are expended in the construction of roads over new routes the public is entitled to all possible return for the expenditure, and the authority should therefore do no other than grant the licence to the Minister