WAIUKU RAILWAY

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 840, 7 December 1929, Page 14

WAIUKU RAILWAY

ALTERATIONS IN FREIGHTS AND TIMETABLE LINE NOT TO BE CLOSED From Our Own Correspondent WAIUKU, Today. A committee of representative residents of the Waiuku district conferred last evening with the general manager of the railways, Mr. H. H. Sterling, to consider a complete revision of the timetables and charges on the line. Mr. Sterling assured the meeting that no suggestion had been made by the department that the line would be closed. The losses on the line had been considerable—£6,osS in 1925-26, £9,735 in 1928-29 and £4,849 this year to August 17. Mr. J. J. James, chairman of the Wcriuku Town Board, presided over tho meeting last evening and there was a good attendance of the public. Mr. Sterling and Mr. A. W. Wellsted, business agent at Auckland, were in attendance. Mr. Janies said that the talk of closing 11011-paying branch lines had greatly concerned tho public of the district. Mr. A. Duthie of the Waiuku Chamber of Commerce, said that the businessmen of the district had tried to help the railways to meet competition in a businesslike manner. When the first bus service was mooted a more convenient timetable had been arranged and they thought that the threat had been disposed of. However, when the timetable appeared the people were annoyed to find that the first train was timed to leave five minutes earlier instead of three-quar-ters of an hour later. Mr. Duthie compared the bus timetable with that of the railways and said that the latter would have to provide a more attractive timetable to compete with the buses. Mr C. I. Harkness, secretary of the Farmers’ Union, said that some of the businessmen of the district never used the railway line at all. The formation of a Waiuku Railway Protection League was moved by Mr. F. A. Harcombe, president of the Farmers’ Union. This was seconded by Mr. J. M. Whitham. Mr. J. N. Massey, M.P., in discussing the motion, pointed out that last year 10,457 cubic yards of road metal, at a railage cost of 2s 7§d a cubic yard, had been railed from Papakura to stations along the Waiuku branch. This had been for the use of the County Council and if the line hq.d not been available it would have cost about 5s a yard more. Mr. Duthie suggested that the formation of the league be held over temporarily. Mr. Sterling, in addressing the meeting, agreed that the department must adopt business methods to meet the existing competition. In order to compete with the motors the department would have to reduce freights on light goods. Heavy goods were already carried at a very low rate and if the freights on light goods were reduced it would mean a reduction in the margin over the whole volume of freight carried. HAVE TO BE RAISED In order to counteract this in a businesslike way the freights on heavy goods would have to be raised. At Mr. Sterling’s suggestion the following committee was appointed to meet him to discuss a revision of charges and timetable: Messrs. Duthie, Harcombe, Harkness, Witham, J. Ballantyne, J. Henry and C. Buttimore. After conferring for three-quarters of an hour the committee's proposals were put to the meeting and accepted unanimously. These proposals will he recommended to the Minister of Railways by Mr. Sterling. They were as follow: A train leaving Waiuku at 7.40 a.m. or about that time daily, in lieu of the 6.15 a.m. and 8.35 a.m. trains, on various days as at present; the new train to connect at Papakura at 9.5 a.m. and arrive at Auckland at 10.10 a.m. In addition fares to be reduced to suburban rates; freight on goods in classes A, B and C between Auckland and Waiuku, to be reduced to the same rates as class D; the arrangement to-be reviewed in six months in the light of its effect in the meantime on the volume of traffic. At the conclusion of the meeting the formation of the Railway Protection League was proceeded with and many members were enrolled on the spot.