QUEENSTOWN

Southland Times, Issue 19171, 15 February 1924, Page 5

QUEENSTOWN

WEEK-END EXCURSIONS ADVOCATED. Increased traffic and the popularising of Queenstown as a tourist resort were reasons advanced by members of a deputation which waited upon Hon. J. G. Coates, Minister of Railways, last evening to urge the introduction of week-end excursions to Queenstown during a period of three months in each year. Mr R. M. Strang stated that the line from Invercargill to Queenstown was not paying at the present time, and that the introduction of week-end excursions would, no doubt, bring the line up to a paying point. The deputation was not asking that the Department should run extra trains, but simply that it should maintain its present service, at the same time giving those wishing to visit Queenstown on weekends the advantage of excursion rates. No extra expense would be incurred by the Department and in order to encourage people to visit the lake township, the suggestion should be well worth giving a trial. Mr McVilly said that the Department had run week-end excursions both from Dunedin and Invercargill to Queenstown many years ago and had been very anxious to make it a success. It had found, however, that for two or three days before the week-end excursions, the trains were almost empty and that people waited until the week-end in order to gain advantage of the reduced fares. As a matter of fact the excursions had been used for business purposes. There had not been any increase in the number of passengers carried over the week and there had been a decrease in the revenue from this source.

Mr J. Hom, M.P., stated that the people of Dunedin had asked for an excursion once a month. He was going to ask for two excursions—one for Dunedin and one for Southland. From Bluff, Invercargill ?:zid other districts there was a large population on which to work and he believed that the introduction of excursion fares would result in a large increase in the traffic on this line. Mr Hom also stated that the matter would again be brought before the Minister at Queenstown, and accordingly the Minister decided to withhold any statement in the meantime.