A Good Transport Performance.

The memorable schools demonstrations in connection with the Royal visit owed much of their success to the arrangements made by the Department in the conveyance of many thousands of children from the country districts to the cities. The number of children brought in by rail for the Christchurch demonstration was 6,667. Of this number 1,016 entrained at stations between Lyttelton and Christchurch, 2,825 north of Christchurch, 699 south of Christchurch, 1,419 on the southbridge and Little River lines, and 708 on the Midland line.

The special trains arrived right up to schedule time, the children being all assembled at the show grounds at addington before 10:30 a.m. After the demonstration no less than 15,000 children were conveyed by rail in one hour from the Show Ground to Christchurch. As every child carried a coloured flag and every flag was held out of a carriage window, one of the most effective—although impromptu—decorative displays was seen when each successive trainload pulled out, flanked along both sides of its whole length by the gaily fluttering flags of the children. The country children were returned to their homes in the afternoon in special carriages attached to the ordinary trains. Despite the heavy demands made on the traffic and locomotive branches no hitch of any kind occurred in the transport arrangements.

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