ROAD TO RAIL.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 261, 4 November 1933, Page 10

ROAD TO RAIL.

TRANSPORT OF STOCK. PROTECTION OF FARMERS. RAILWAYS' APPLICATION. (By Telegraph.—Own Correspondent.) KAIKOHE, Friday. Stating that while the members of the No. 1 Transport Licensing Authority were impressed witli the necessity of diverting traffic to the railway wherever possible they had to see that no unnecessary hardship \va6 created to the farmers, the chairman of the authority at a meeting at Kaikohe eaid that the question of granting licenses to road operators to convey livestock to the Moerewa freezing works past the railheads at Kaikohe would be considered.

The matter was raised by Mr. G. T. Wilson on behalf of the Railway Department. Pointing out that the Kaikohe branch was a non-paying line, Mr. Wilson said that all traffic possible should be diverted to it and everything done to eliminate wasteful overlapping. The transfer of stock from lorries to railway trucks was not a serious matter as the facilities provided at the stations were suitable and not inconvenient.

Mr. C. R. Cameron, manager for Dalgety and Co., Ltd., at Kaikohc, said that the records showed that stock taken all the way to the works by lorry suffered more from bruising than the stock which had been transferred from lorry to rails at Kaikohc and Okaihau. This may have been due somewhat to the number of turns and steep grades lorries had to make en route.

The view that it would be detrimental to tranship stock from lorry to rail was expressed by Mr. P. 6. McKenzie,* Awaroa, Mr. G. L. Leity, manager of the Mocrcwa freezing works, and Mr. W. McAulay, managing director of the North Auckland Farmers' Co-operative, Limited.