RAILWAY TRUCKS AGAIN.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIX, Issue 71, 23 March 1908, Page 4

RAILWAY TRUCKS AGAIN.

DEPARTMENTAL EEPLY TO. AUCEIAND COMPLAINT. (By Telegraph.—Own. Correspondent} - . ' this day..'. Complaint Haying been, made as to the shortage of wagons in. connection .with, the discharging of the Union Company's steamer. Pukaki at Onehunga, your j&presentatiye made it Mb business to* interview the responsible'heads of the railway, staff with, a viewof ascertaining; their views in the mutter. They pointed; out that this -was one of those incidents that occur-when, asa result of haying toy ; deal with exceptionally- heavy passenger, . traffic, the Kailway. Department has -to ? temporarily withdraw a, number of ■wagons from the goods service"and,seat. them for passenger use. The: Pukaki arrived at Onehnnga at 10 ajn. on Tuesday, the day of the Ngaruawabia regatta. • Passenger business in connection with, this regatta was exceptionally heavy, • and constituted a record. .The Railway Department had anticipated this by seating a considerable number of tracks, ■which enabled it to cater for passenger , business in connection with the regatta,; The Pukafci wss unable to work on/ Tuesday; trat on Wednesday Vorked: from 8 ajn. untiL 4 pjn.; therefore prac- 1 tically losing only one hour on that day. On Thursday the ship was' -worked from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.,a full day. Friday, work ' started at 8 ajn. and continued until 11 pan., and to-day (Saturday) it was to start at 8 a.m., and work ; was to continue until finished. '..-.■. In connection iwith this matter, it is pointed, out by the officials while those interested in the shipping busi-.,, ness make a very great outcry when a y : boat is delayedlor a few hours owing to \ shortage of trucks, nothing is ever said by them on the hundreds of occasions during the year on whkh scores of trucks have to stand for considerable periods at the various wharves waiting , for the ■' ■ . arrival of vessels that are overdue. The circumstances connected with the delayin commencing to discharge the Pukaki ; were, they say, exceptional, and' it is very evident to from the dispatch the vessel has received since Wednesday, .' that the truck supply is reasonably sufficient to meet the requirements. A great deal of the trouble, they point out, results from the use of tracks for -warehouse purposes, instead of their being used as the means provided for the transport of goods from oen place.to another. •It -appears from papere placed before mc that the rolling stock programme of the Department provides for the"building of 1234 wagons, wffh a carrying capacity of 10.553 fons, during the .rear,; and that the railway workshops have for some time'past been going at the highest pressure in order to enable Wagons to be turned out as cpriekly as possible. It may "be added that, by regulation, consignees are allowed eight hoars in which to discharge trucks, and that it is the custom to interpret this liberally. If there are circumstances calling for consideration, hundreds of pounds are spent annually in Wellington for casual labour to unload timber and similar goods when heavy beyond the capacity, of the local merchants to deal with in eigh hours- have been rushed forward. Ho charge is made to the consignee for this service, and he escapee the demurrage which otherwise would be inevitable. The Government, it is clear, has taken all reasonable precautions to Treep pace with tho great nnd growing trade of the Dominion in this respect, and the Department officials are always kconly desirous of meoting tho demnncte of clionts, but . it cannot bo expected that, with tl>e resources at its .command, it can supply trucks to meot de-mauds in every part, ef the colony at all seasoas.