MELSON-WELLIWGTON DIRECT SERVICE.

Colonist, Volume LVI, Issue 13497, 17 June 1914, Page 1 (Supplement)

MELSON-WELLIWGTON DIRECT SERVICE.

i _ «■» REPRESENTATIONS TO THE UNION COMPANY.

(From "The Colonist," Juno 12.) Yesterday iifternfion a deputation consisting of.Messrs W. W. Snodgrass (president), C. Y. Fell, Cecil King, P. Bond, and W. S. Hampson (secretary), representing the Chamber of Commerce, and Mr George M. Rout (president), representing tlie Nelson Advancement Society, waited upon Mr W. A. Sw;itder, ' acting-manager of . the Union Steam Ship Company, asking .that a better boat than the Pateena be placed on the Nelson-Wellington direct service, and that a town office of the company be re-opened. The speakers expressed great satisfaction at the action., of the.company in arranging the pre-'1 ■sent very convenient direct night service, and urged that the provision of a more up-to-date boat in the matter of passenger accommodation than the Pateena would lead to an increased number of passengers. Incidentally, a tribute was paid to the admirable manner in which the comfort and convenience' of passengers was studied by the. officers and saloon staff of the Pateona. It was pointed oivt that with the new service an office in town would be oven more convenient than formerly, when such was maintained. Mr Switzer, in reply, said that the matter of an office in town was already receiving consideration, and would be gone into fully in August when Mr M.onson, the local manager, would be-at headquarters. With regard to replacing the Pateena by another vessel, he I could only say that the representations made would bo forwarded to the head office. In the course of his remarks Mr Switzer mentioned that as a matter of fact, less passengers were carried m 1914 than for the corresponding months in 1909. This was a good deal accounted for by the opening of the North Island main trunk line, more people spending their holidays in that direction than was formerly the case. April of this year, in which month tell Easter, was the only month so tar ot 1914 to touch the figures of January, 1909. '