THE RAILWAY. SERVICES.

Press, Volume LIII, Issue 15895, 8 May 1917, Page 6

THE RAILWAY. SERVICES.

GOODS TRAFFIC AS USUAL. (SrZCIAI, TV "im TRESS.") WELLINGTON, May 7. The Railway Department to-day took off all tbo restrictions imposed on goods traffic as part of tho scheme for the economising of coal at the time of tho?;/ coal strike. Tho rcduccd passenger services still remain as they were then scheduled. Tho next cliango to be made by the Department will not be to return to the ordinary services which wcro in existence before the shortage of coal was threatened, but to adopt tho stilisaving time-table announced some time ago. This will probably be done on Monday nest, and tho offcct of the change wil] do to increase tho passenger services a little. It is not intended to take tho dining cars off the express trains at once, because the neccssarv additions to the refreshment rooms liave* not yet been made. Now that all poods restrictions arc rcmovod, the question raised about th< carriage of beer in preference to other more essential goods settles itself. As tho question stood I>efore tho ordinary goods traffic was resumed, the attitude of tho Railway Department was that beer was entitled Lo bo classed as perishable produce, and that the railways should rot in ally event be used to enforce any measure of abstinence on tho country.. The fact is, however, that the railways do not at any timo carry much beer.