A DUSTY RAILWAY.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1359, 9 February 1912, Page 4

A DUSTY RAILWAY.

USE OP OIL ON ROTORUA LINE. (Br Tcloeraptt.-SDociol Correspondent.) Auckland, February 8. The dust nuisance on the run by rail to Rotorna is at present just about as bad as it. can be. The lion. J. A. Millar, Minister for Railways, was amongst the passengers arriving from tho thermal district yesterday afternoon. Asked by a "Star" representative whether it would not be possible to cope with the nuisance by Rome scientific menus, the Minister replied that the only way would be to uso oil in laying the dust. If oil could bo secured in quantities both largo and cheap, it would uo doubt prove an effective remedy. Ho had approached the Taranaki Petroleum Syndicate, and made them an offer, but up to the present it had been impossible to come to terms. Tho Department was not going to pay 4d. per gallon, and there should really bo no need to do so. Tho Department did not require tho more important qualities, such as benzine, for the purpose they had in view. Until a process was introduced by which the Taranaki oil could be so treated, it would be impossible to do anything to cope with the dust nuisance on the Kotorua line. In America crude oil was sold for uso in this way at 2 cents the gallon, and tho prico in New Zealand would have to bo very much reduced beforo its uso as a dust-lnying agency became general.