RAILWAY MATTERS

Press, Volume XLVIII, Issue 14524, 28 November 1912, Page 5

RAILWAY MATTERS

THE NEW GENERAL MANAGER

EXAMINATION OF PASSENGERS' LUGGAGE. DISCUSSION AT CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. At the quarterly meeting of the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce yesterday afternoom Mr Albert Kayo brought up the question of the examination of the luggage of overseas passengers at Christchurch railway station instead of at Lyttclton. Mr Kaye introduced the subject by reading a letter from. W. B. Montgomery, Secretary of Customs, ct "losing copies of letters whif.'i bad passed between Mr Montgomery and Mr llonayne on the subject. On September 9th Mr Montgomery wrote that .— ''Provided the Railway Department is prepared to grant the necessary accommodation at Christchun-h. it wit", be more convenient to examine passengers' baggage there. I shall, therefore, bo ji'ad if you will "take this into consideration when making alterations at Christchurch Railway Station." Mr Kaye commented that this wa:. the );r.-t occasion upon which the Customs Department had admitted that it would bo more convenient to examine luggage at Christchurch than at Lyttelton. On October Bth Mr Ronayne replied:— "I find that there will be no convenient space available" for tho purpose of the Customs examination of overseas luggago at Christchurch. In order to provide a suitable examination siding access would be required sufficient t<i accommodate several trucks. A shed would be necessary with sufficient counter accommodation to allsw the luggage to be displayed and rapidly examined. In addition to this cart access would be required for the removal of thi luggage after examination. In order to yrovidj a suitable shed it would bo necessary to acquire a considerable area of very expensive land, I and after giving the nutter every consideration I regmt 1 cannot see mv way to recommend any alteration in the present s> stem." Mr Kayo said that after some years of agitation the Chamber succeeded in getting fur- Cistoms and Railway Department-; to agree to the examination of overseas passengers luggage Christchurch, and a room was actually built, and still existed. Unfortunately tho system was brought into operation on the opening day of the International Exhibition when something like 2000 passengers arrived, and tho small platform at the Christchurch railway station was simply filled up from end to end with luggage. Ihe then Minister of Railways (the Hon. J. A. Millar) was one of the unfortunates who did not get his luggage for two or three days, and the result was that the examination of luggago at the Christchurch station was stopped. Referring to. Mr, Ronayne's objections, Mr Kayo said that there was at present a shed equal to any ordinary ,day's traffic and it was seldom that thero was a big rush of overseas passengers. There was a largo building—the Albert Bond —available for tho examination of luggage, and there was a siding into it and cart access. All Mr Ronayne's piled up arguments,-when boiled down, were really not worth tho trouble taken to write them. Ho moved: —"That the correspondence be referred to the Council of the Chamber, to take such further action deemed advisable to bring about the desired reform." Mr A. H. Turnbull asked if it would not bo bettor to pass a motion congratulating tho Minister of Railways on his decision to import a general manager? Personally, he was strongly or opinion that they would get no redress as long as they had the present staff controlling the railways; tneir actions, generally, were controlled by red tape, and.'many of them were" inefficient and insufficiently paid. The decision to get a general manager from Home was a step in the right direction, and he suggested that on his arrival in tho Dominion the different Chambers of Commerce should brins under his notice their grievances with the object of getting them remedied. His experience ' was that over a lengthy period no reform or improvement suggested by the Chamber had been adopted. I Mr H. J. Marriner seconded the i motion, and said that he honed strong representations would be made to the Minister and to the new general manager on the subject. The motion was agreed to. Mr Turnbull then moved, and Mr Frostick seconded: —"That as soon as the new general manager of railways arrives in the Dominion united action be taken by the different Chambers of Commerce to bring under his notice tho necessary requirements and' adjustments in tariffs and the working of tho rail■\vavs throughout the D-omiriion. j The motion was agreed to.