RAIL SERVICES CRITICISED

Press, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 26514, 31 August 1951, Page 3

RAIL SERVICES CRITICISED

PROTEST MEETING AT LEESTON MORE FACILITIES URGED FOR ELLESMERE About 40 farmers and representatives of grain, seed and produce and transport firms in the Ellesmere district passed the following resolution at a public meeting at Leeston on Wednesday evening:— “That the Railways Department be asked to send an empty goods train to Southbridge each morning for loading during the day and return to Christchurch as soon as loaded: that the service be extended to cover five days a week instead of four as at present; and that consignors be advised of the number and type of trucks in each train ” A transport officer of the department. Mr W. R. Mangan, said the department would investigate the matter, but that he would make no promises. Mr Mangan was accompanied by the department’s commercial agent, Mr P. C. Bennett.

The meeting was called by the president of the Ellesmere branch of Federated Farmers (Mr W. G. Cooper), at the request of several farmers and stock firms in the district. Mr Cooper presided at the meeting. “Last season a goods train and a passenger train travelled between Christchurch and Southbridge on six days of the week.” said the manager of the Leeston branch of the New Zealand Farmers’ Co-operative Association (Mr F. J, Horgan). “The goods train came down early in the morning, and went back the following morning, thus giving farmers and others plenty of time to load the trucks during daylight hours.

“Now, however, the train only comes down on Mondays, Tuesdays. Thursdays and Fridays, and is not due to arrive at Southbridge until 4.30 p.m. for return the next morning,” said Mr Horgan. “In practice, things are still worse. The train rarely arrives before 7 o’clock at night, when consignors must set to work in the dark, paying their employees overtime rates, to load the trucks.”

.The dismantling of the railway bridge over the Selwyn to provide material for repairs to the flooddamaged Kowai bridge in April had resulted in the piling up of a huge backlog of produce in Ellesmere stores, Mr Horgan added. The Potato Board was depending on the Ellesmere district to supply the whole of New Zealand with potatoes for the next six weeks, said the chief executive officer of the board (Mr M. P. H. Rousham). “There will oe plenty of shipping space available at Lyttelton within a few days, and the board hopes the growers will be able to take advantage of that space,” he added.

"Growers Discouraged” The potato season had been a particularly hard one, said Mr A. Anderson "It is only in recent weeks that we have been able to get the potatoes out of the ground because of improved weather, but we find that we can’t get transport for them. This Is very discouraging,” Mr Anderson continued. ‘Growers will be disinclined to plant potatoes in future if they cannot be sure of getting their produce shifted at the proper time.” It was most difficult to make plans for sending produce away, when the consignors were not notified of the number and type of trucks on the train said the manager of the Ellesmere Transport Company (Mr J. Simpson). On several occasions we have taken potatoes out of store for loading on the evening train, waited until after dark i° r /he train to arrive, and then found that the potatoes would all have to be taken back to the store because there were no trucks available for their transport,” he said. The handling of grain had also come to an almost dead stop, with 200,0 m) sacks stored in the district, said l e manager of the grain department of the New Zealand Farmers’ Co-opera-ftve Association at Leeston (Mr D. F. H. White). “Most of this grain is stored in buildings erected at the request of the department, only a few years ago,” he said. “We feel, therefore, that the department is letting us down.” 6

Since the train service had been curtailed, no milk nad been supplied to the schools In the district, said the chairman of the Southbridge School Committee (Mr E. F. Smith).