SERIOUS TURN

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 67, Issue 166, 28 April 1947, Page 3

SERIOUS TURN

MELBOURNE TRANSPORT CRISIS PETROL RATION REDUCED (N.Z. Press Association — Copyright.) (Rec. 10.50) MELBOURNE, This Day. i The transport crisis, now in its third week, took a more serious turn at the week-end. The Railways commissioner announced a reduction in country train services to 25 per cent, of normal. This followed an extension of the engineers’ strike to . country locomotive depots and workshops. The emergency road transport services are being organised between Melbourne and the main country towns. The Premier, Mr John Cain, deprecated reports that the train cuts would cause a food shortage in Melbourne. He said that emergency road services would guarantee adequate food supplies from the country- i' Melbourne is still without electric trains, as all metropolitan train services were cancelled a fortnight ago following the withdrawal of engineers from the railway powerhouse. 1 As the result of the heavy drain on petrol supplies caused by the railway stoppage, the authorities have reduced the petrol ration for private cars in Victoria. The issue of tickets for the May ration has been deferred until petrol supplies are built up again.