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The New Zealand Railways Magazine, Volume 1, Issue 2 (June, 1926)

By Those Who Like Us

page 39

By Those Who Like Us

The “Hawke's Bay Herald,” in drawing attention to the increase of 6,482 passengers, 617 season tickets, and £12,293 in revenue at Napier station for the financial year ended 31st March last, states that, “In the handling of the increased traffic, the officials have always risen to the occasion and provided the travelling public with the best service it is in their power to give.” Well done, Napier!

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The spirit of business enterprise with which the Railway Department is conducting its operations is made evident in many reforms and innovations (says the Annual Report of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce), and among these has been the speeding up of express passenger trains, and congratulations were conveyed to the Government for these added facilities for the travelling public.

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From the General Secretary, United Commercial Travellers and Warehousemen’ Association of New Zealand: “At the Association's Conference held at Dunedin this month it was resolved that the Railway Department be congratulated on the highly efficient manner in which the business of the railways of the country is being conducted; also to thank the Department for the consideration and courtesies extended to our members during the past year.”

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Referring to the excellence of the arrangements made at the Oamaru railway refreshment rooms for “feeding the multitude,” the “Otago Daily Times” remarks:—

To feed upwards of 700 persons in less than an hour and a half is in itself no light task, but to serve them quickly and without congestion in a dining room with a total seating capacity of 250 is an achievement that calls for no little organising ability, and reflects great credit on those responsible for the task. …‥ After seeing some 600 meals served expeditiously and cleanly in a little over an hour the reporter came to the conclusion that the New Zealand Government at all events is doing its best to attend to the wants of the inner man so far as the travelling public is concerned…‥ There is an entire absence of the hurried methods usually associated with a public dining room during busy hours. On the arrival of a train, not a moment is lost, and not a movement is wasted. Could the average diner who has an appetising meal placed before him immediately he takes his seat know the careful preparation and far-seeing organisation which have gone towards the expeditious attention he receives, he would be filled with wonder at the enormous amount of work and organisation involved …‥ In the scrupulously clean kitchen the chef and his assistants attend to the carving and dishing, and as fast as plates are filled they are taken up and carried to the tables to make room for clean ones, which are being passed over in a continual stream from the dish-washers. So smoothly does everything proceed, and so well does the work of each department synchronise with that of the other, that by the time the last diner has left the room the whole system is in readiness for the next batch.

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From the Town Clerk, Waihi, regarding a trial special train from Morrinsville for excursionists to the beaches of Waihi:—

“I desire to place on record our feelings of the highest appreciation of the work of your officials here, and also those at intermediate stations. There is no doubt that the comparatively large train load was in no small measure due to the efforts of your officers, who entered into the project full of enthusiasm and lost no opportunity of inducing excursionists to travel. The help received by us from Mr. Rollo, Stationmaster, at Waihi was particularly beneficial and his advice and ready co-operation, with his excellent foresight in the matter, considerably eased our task.”