RAILWAY COMMISSION

Southland Times, Issue 19389, 1 November 1924, Page 6

RAILWAY COMMISSION

ARRIVAL IN INVERCARGILL I I BETTER SERVICES URGED I The Royal Commission,- consisting of ' Sir Sam Fay and Sir Vincent Raven, the ; British railway experts, which is inquiring ! into the administration of the New Zea- ' land railways, was engaged yesterday in • an inspection of the main lines extending j from Gore to Bluff and the Glenham and • Tokanui branches. The Commission completed the day’s journeyings on arrival in Invercargill shortly after seven o’clock in the evening, and later in the evening representatives of the Invercargill Chamber of Commerce waited upon it with regard to better facilities being provided for the expeditious handling of passengers and mails between Invercargill and Dunedin, to premit of a better daily connection being available with Wellington. DEPUTATION FROM CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. The President of the Chamber, Mr A. le H. Hoyles, and the Vice-President, Mr W. Gow, voiced the opinions of the Chamber in regard to the matter and suggested that a daily train from Invercargill to Dunedin at j I. p.m. should be instituted, instead of as i at present, on alternate days. The speakers ■ emphasised the fact that Invercargill was j the only important centre in the Dominion which was without the advantage of a daily service with the capital city and asked that the request be given every consideration. Mr Hoyles also said that the present service was unsatisfactory and resulted in serious material loss to traders and the public generally. In the past the reply of the Department to the requests made by the Chamber for a better service was in the direction that the traffic did not warrant the extensions asked for, but the Chamber’s contention was that trade and traffic always followed better facilities and, what they were asking for, was not simply a SuMthland matter, but one which affected in a more or less degree the whole of the Dominion. Sir Sam Fay, in replying, stated that the Commission would go thoroughly into the matters brought forward, and said that the views expressed would receive favourable consideration. TO-DAY’S ITINERARY. This morning the Commission leaves at 7.15 a.m. for Tuatapere and, after inspecting the lines between there and Kingston, proceeds from there in the evening to Queenstown. In addition to the Commissioners, Messrs S. Ernest Fay, junr., C. Travis and J. A. Warren-King are accompanying them and attending to the secretarial work' of the ' Commission. Messrs R. W. McVilly (General Manager), E. E. Gillon (chief mechanical engineer), F. J. Jones (chief engineer), G. ' Wilson (locomotive engineer for the South ; Island) and H. J. Wynne (chief signal en- | gineer) and Mr F. W. Furkert (Under-Sec-retary for Public Works) are also travelling with the Commission, and advising in re- . spect to the responsibilities and operations of their respective departments and branches.