SHORTAGE OF ROLLING STOCK.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 139, 6 March 1908, Page 8

SHORTAGE OF ROLLING STOCK.

A REPLY TO THE RAILWAY DEPARTMENT. In reply to tho statement published in •our columns yesterday by the Railway Department v/ith respect to tho complaint as to insufficiency of meat vans, Messrs. W. M. Bamiatyne and-Co., Ltd., agents for the Tyser Line, Ltd., write as follows:— " Tho Department state they are at all times prepared to meet the demand for meat waggons during the hours of 8 a.m., and 5 p.m. We liavo to inform you that the Department have not tho rolling stock to bring in sufficient meat to keep a steamer in full work'during tho hours stated above. I'oi instance, last Saturday, the Tyser. liner Indralema was the only vessel in jport loading frozen meat, and yet during the ordinary hours this steamer was waiting for meat to arrive-from 1 p.m. till 3 p.m. "Last.Monday, in'addition to the Indralema, the Now Zealand Shipping Company's steamer Kaipara'was loading meat, but owJKS Railway Department's : inability the ivaipara's meat was not delivered alongside until 10.30 a.m., instead of 8 a.m., and the Indralema only had.sufficient trucks to allow her to work till 10.15 a.m. We then had to wait until. 1" p.m. before the nest! rako or meat arrived. ' - .

. It is most desirable that tlio Railway Department should have sufficient rolling stock to keep steamers in full work during ordinary working hours. If this were so, it would do away with a large amount' of overtime worked ' by" the steamers at the present time.

" The Traffic Superintendent states that , the Department, could - not be expected to . build costly wagons to stand idle three hun- ' dred or more days in the year. , After deducting Sundays, and not even the public holidays, there are only 313 working days in the year. From January 1, 1907, to December 31, 1907, the Tyser line steamers, were loading moat at this port, and using the, Department's meat vans for fifty-three days out. of the .313 days. This, leaves 2GO days, and from this has to bo; deducted the days during Which the meat 1 vans were .employed' by the Shaw Saviil and Albion Company, the New Zealand Shipping Company, and the No"» z, »ala.nd and African Company, when the'so companies' steamers were loading meat at this : port. "Where would the freezing companies and the shipping companies bo now if they had remained stationary;'and allowed the frozen moat trade t-o. get. ahead of them, as it has done in ,the ca,so of the abovo Department? Duriug the last few years all the largo freezing companies have had to cnlargo their . works to cope with tho largo increase in tho .frozen - meat. trade, and the shipping companies tradiug from the Old Country to New Zealand have increased - their fleets t accordingly. Tho Railway. Department have not enlarged- their.' rolling stock! of meat vans ' in anything like the samo proportion, consequently. they, are ,not able to meet tho demands made -jipon them. It would bo in-, teresting to know what extra trucks liavo been provided by the Department sinco.'tho Gear Company ceased lightering their meat, theroby moro than doubling-tlio'quantity of frozen meat carried by rail for export. Our experience , for months past has _ been, that the loading of frozen meat at this port has been constantly delayed through tho shortage, of meat vans." - :