Interruptions For Stop-Work Meeting

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31317, 13 March 1967, Page 1

Interruptions For Stop-Work Meeting

No trains, rail-cars or Road Services buses would leave the Christ-church-Lyttelton area between 8 a.m. and Ip.m. on Wednesday, said an official of the Canterbury branch of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants yesterday.

This was decided at a meeting of the branch in the Carlyle Street Hall yesterday morning, attended by about 80 members.

The Railways District Traffic Manager (Mr M. R. Leineweber) said that the normal

8.40 a.m. Christchurch-Invercargill express,

the 10 a.m. Christchurch-Ross rail-car and the 9.25 a.m. Christchurch-Picton rail-car would

all have their departure delayed until about 1 p.m. because of the stop-work meeting.

The Railways Department would announce the time of departure for the three services when this had been worked out some time today. Mr Leineweber said he ex-

t pected to have talks with f executives of both the Canter- - bury and Lyttelton branches i of the A.S.R.S. at 9 a.m. to- . day.

The branch members would stop work at 8 a.m. on Wednesday to ensure that all members would have sufficient time to get to the 10 a.m. meeting in Latimer square, said the A.S.R.S. official. Incoming trains would run to their home stations. Asked to comment, a national councillor of the A.S.R.S., Mr G. R. Finlayson, said that he expected 2000 railwaymen to attend the meeting.

The 8 a.m. stoppage would mean the stoppage of outgoing goods and passenger trains. The 7.50 a.m. port train would run and return to Christchurch about 8.23 a.m.

“Trains that go out early on Wednesday morning or from 6 p.m. the night before will be allowed to come back as long as they are on their way home. Mr Finlayson said that railwaymen’s wives would go with the men to the meeting. A meeting of the Addington branch of the A.S.R.S. will be held on Tuesday at noon to discuss support for the Latimer square meeting. When asked how 700 Lyttelton waterside workers not due to stop work till 9 a.m. would get to the meeting by 10 a.m., Mr Finlayson said: “It is unfortunate that some of the travelling public will be inconvenienced.

“I feel quite sure that most watersiders have motor-cars and they can overcome this problem as well as the Seamen’s Union which is chartering buses to bring the seamen to Christchurch from Lyttelton.”