LYTTELTON TRAIN SERVICES.

Press, Volume LIII, Issue 15917, 2 June 1917, Page 8

LYTTELTON TRAIN SERVICES.

THE DEPUTATION TO THE MINISTER.

SOME STRAIGHT TALK.

(PRXS3 ARSOCtATIOV TKLECR.U!.) WELLINGTON, Juno J. After the Minister of Railways had informed tho Christchurch deputation yesterday of the Government's decision regarding the provision of a special night train, for the Lyttolton watersidcrs, Mr J. A. Frostick, of the National Efficiency Board, at tho request of the deputation, pointed out that no provision was made for inclement weather —if owing to rain it was impossible to work during the day, and it cleared up in tho evening, such a contingency should be provided for. The Hon. W. H. Herrios said the Government's decision was supposod to bo a general instruction—tho details could bo left to those working tho scheme. Mr i* H. Hiley, General Manager of Ixaihvays: I will seo that this nr» rangement is carried out in a 1 reason- 1 able way. There is only one point 1 would like to make clcar, if this deputation is going to discuss tho matter \vitli mo. Iho question of extending the arrangement to otfor s Mo s is not in my hands: it is a Cabinet matter. I have my definite instructions from Cabinet as to tho extent to which tho present timetable can bo relaxed, and it goes no further than trains for waterside workers at night, and I givo you my guarantee that the arrangement will bo made as elastic as possiblp.

K/iye dwelt on tho importance of enabling coastal coal steamers to discharge their cargoes at Lyttolton.

Mr Herries snid ho desired to em- : phasiso the fact that he did not want to do nny harm to Lyttclton. This was a Dominion scheme, and was not directed against Lyttclton. Ho admitted that Lyttclton had the difficulty of the tunnel, but Auckland had something else, and other ports had difficulties. Ho admitted tho shipping difficulty at Lyttelton, and ho was trying to remedy it. He*could not go any further than that. If tho scheme could bo amended in its details, the Government would bo glad to put it into effect, Jtr W. Ferguson (chairman of tho Efficiency Board) vigorously supported the request of the deputation, and in the interests of efficiency in the Dominion ho advocated tho widening of the scope of the Government's decii sion. So faT as intercolonial shipping and shipping generally at Lyttclton was concerned, he pointed out that Lyttclton, owing to the tunnel, was in quite a different position from other ports. He could not believe that Cabinet had ever looked,at tho question from that point of view, or grasped the matter, or it would not have come to euch an absurd position. Mr Herries remarked that personally ho did not know that Cabinet had looked at it from that point of view. Mr Ferguson said if the Railway Department in its wisdom decided that no train should leave Lyttclton after 6 o'clock in the evening, it meant that tho wholo of the work of the port would be suspended at 6 o'clock. Cabinet had modified that by saying that for certain Imperial purposes a train ehould be run, but tliat did not fill the hill. What was required was that shipping should be run efficiently, and if the waterside workers worked late, they should be taken through the tunnel by train to their homes. That could be done by means of shunting an engine and carriage. Mr Ferguson read a letter on the subject which the Efficiency Board had sent that day to tho Government. Mr Herries remarked that ho had not yet seen tho letter. Mr Ferguson said that on a small payment being made, tho shipping companies, etc., should be enabled to arrange for a train to run up to' 9.45 p.m., or 10.15 p.m., to take workers home had finished their work at night, Mr Herries replied that the matter would come before Cabinet later on for consideration. Mr H. Holland (Mayor of Christchurch) said he thought, the result of the deputation wjas "nil " Mr Ferguson said he did not think so.

Mr Holland then warmly expressed the opinion that they could not get anything in Ohristchurcli unless Auckland consented to it. This statement •was made apropos of a remark by Mr Herries that he had just received a letter from the Mnvor of Auckland, sayint? that if Lyttelton got this train Auckland would agitate until it also got a Inte train. Mr Holland protested against such a position. "That shows clearly," added Mr Holland, "that Auckland gets a creat deal more than its share of public expenditure." It was understood that the members of the deputation would communicate with Mr Hiley in regard to the details of the proposed arrangement. STATEMENT BY THE MAYOR. The Mayor (Mr H. Holland), who formed one of tho deputation which went up to Wellington to interview the Minister of Railways with reference to a better service between tho port and the city, returned yesterday and, speaking to a representative of "The Press" about the deputation ho said frankly that ho was very disappointed with tho v/liolo attitudo taken up by tho Minister. "First of all," said tho Mayor, "I must express my appreciation of tho services rendered to us by Mr W. Ferguson, chairman of the National Efficiency Board, and Mr J. A. Frostick, tho Canterbury member, for wiinout their help I think it would have been impossible to get tho very small concessions which were made to us. As far as the Minister was concemcd he showed no disposition to remove any apparent difficulties; on tho contrary ho seemed to put as many obstacles and difficulties in the way as possible. Tho deputation did its utmost to show the Minister that the circumstances in connexion with the Christchurch-Lyttel-ton railway service were totally different from those of any other of the centres in New Zealand, inasmuch as a row of hills intervened between our city and port. The Government, by its ac- ' iion, has limited tho hours of labour by at least three per day. tho result being that largo and small steamers often lose the whole day, and sometimes two. It is in tho interests of efficiency that the train should be pnt on, as Christchurch depended solely on the port railway. But apparently we failed to convince the Minister that there were any special circumstances which might receive special consideration, and he seemed to have mado up his mind on the basis of some pre-conecived ideas ho had obtained. He suggested that he could not concede anything, because other centres would at once clamour frr like concessions and he could not resist them, but this was a weak enough contention. I was informed the regular fee for a special train from Ohristohur-h to Lyttelton is £5. but the General Manaeer said he would have to charge the shinning companies £8 to *'1() To run a shuntinz engine and a second-class from the port to Ch-istehurch. j.iiis seems an iniquitous charge, and

will mean that the shipping companies who arc already paying the men over! timo rates in the interest of gcnoral efficiency, will have to pay another fog chnrgo for the special train. "\Ve sup;gested that if onlv thirty workers needed to come hack tile balance of the room available might be made up bv paying civilian passengers, to assist in lowering the cost, but the Minister would not hear of this. 1 consider the answers made hv the Minister to our request exceedingly weak and unsatisfactory and, in many eases, quito besiilo tho point. He told us about tho general policy of the Railway Department, but we did not want to hear that. Our request was made simply iu the interests of national efficiency, and the Railway Department's attitude will merelv destroy efficiency, waste time, and delay vessels unnecessarily. Cor« tainlv Minister agreed to run & train for tho purpose of unloading coal steamers and for handling Government transports, but this will not moot tl.o reasonable requirements of Christ-cluirc-h. and the whole thing is a gross injustice to Canterbury, and its trade and commerce will suffer and, to som« extent, tho efficiency of tho Dominion."

TO Tnr. EDITOR OF "TUB TKESS " Sir, —In referenco to your odi'o'iul remarks anent tho rcc.ption mot.d out by tho _ Minister of Railways to tho tlerutation from this city which put. beforo him tho impossible position iu which his I>.''partmcnt had placcd this city and province, I beg to suggest that iin order to meet tho situation thus | created it is quite out of the question Hint th's sort of thing should bo any longer endured. Tho Minister's utte'i iaiiurc to grasp tlio situation seems little short of miraculous. Hero is a deputation of our busiest public men waiting upon him at g oat personal inconvcnicnce, loss of time, expense etc., info mod that tluir ndn.ittrd'y roasonablo request cannot be acceded to except by petitioning tho Minister every timo a service is required. In other words, if wo dosiro to livo in tho continuous good graces of theso officials wo must keep up a pe petual motion of "clawing" and "sinooging" to them. Rather than that tho industrial interests of the city and province should be dislocated and swept asido in this wholesale manner, it will bo the bounden duty of our Harbour Board to at onoa proceed with tho construction of if* Canal, tho rosorvo for which is lying idle there, tho magniij. cent gift of tho founders of tho provinco, extending from tho Sumnor ostnary to Cowlishow's cornor. In view if the situation, it must bo conceded that strenuous steps must bo token to protect- tho into-csts of tho public, and beyond tho shadow 0 f a Fhado of a dojibt tho Chr.stchuroh Canal is our only way out. Thanking you in anticipation, yours, otc., W. L. CHRYSTALL. PUBLIC MEETINGS TO-DAY. A mootine of those interested in tho Chnstchurch-Lyttelton tram servico will bo held in tho City Council Chambers at 11 a.m. to-day. Tho meeting is convened by tho Mayor. A mooting under tho auspiecs of the Lyttolton Citizens' Association will bo held in tho Council Chambers, Lyttolton, at 7.50 to-night, to consider'the curtailment of tho railway Borvico.