NAPIER -WELLINGTON EXPRESS.

Gisborne Times, Volume XLV, Issue 3994, 29 July 1915, Page 7

NAPIER -WELLINGTON EXPRESS.

PLEA FOR A DINING CAR. : i HAWKE'S BAY .MEMBERS 1 ACTIVE. i By Telegraph—Special Correspondent. WELLINGTON, July 23. Mr G. Hunter, the Member for Waipawa, has been urging on the < Minister for Railways the necessity i of putting a refreshment car on tfie . Napier-W'ellington express, and last week placed a. question on the Order Paper relating to the matter. In his reply, the Hon. W. IT. Hcrries said that the running of a dining car on the Napier-Wellington section was not. justified under the existing circumstances. The trains are timed so as to commence their journeys and arrive at their destinations in time to enable passengers to obtain dinner and their wants on route are well catered for by refreshment rooms, which are provided at reasonable intervals. The experiment of running dining cars on - the Nupior-Wcllington expresses was tried four years ago. The cars were very poorly patronised and the earnings were insufficient to pay the actual cost incurred in providing provisions and the wages of the men. Frequently the running of the cars involved the department in the additional expense of attaching a second engine to the trains. Under these circumstances, he regretted that he could not agree to_ again place dining cars on the Wellington-Napicr expresses. x Mr Hunter said that he did not consider the Minister had given a favorable reply. When the experiment was made some years ago, it was made in such a way that it was almost certain to he a financial failure. He believed that it would now prove a success and would be a great boon to the people travelling on the line. It had been found from experience that the locomotive department was one of the hardest to move, for it had taken years to get the train journev to and from Napier accelerated, so'that he did not despair of getting something done. Mr .T. Vigor Brown (Napier) said that when the dining car was put on the train some years, ago, the time selected was nearly .six o’clock, and it was then too late. He suggested that if it was put on at a reasonable ; hour the people would patronise it. The present system of stopping at I wayside stations for meals wasted i time. Further, the dining car won FT ' be of great value to passengers com--5 ing from Gisborne, who often did not ' get time to have their breakfast at 5 Napier. The least that could be * done was to give the car a trial for - three months. , Dt McNab also supported .this sug--7 gestion.