CITY MILK SUPPLY.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1511, 6 August 1912, Page 3

CITY MILK SUPPLY.

6 Til IJ TIIAIX SERVICE. WALLACKVILLE GRIEVANCES. Some grievances of the dairy farmers of [c W ailaceville, who supply a great percentage ol' the milk consumed in Wellington, >- J'i inspect of the train eervi.ee by which ; e this mill; must lie conveyed' to tho city, were laid before the Minister for Jiatlways (the lion. \V. 11. J terries) yesterday morning. The deputation of farmers ft . aeco '»l>«"ied bv Jlr. T. Jl. Wilford, ( i .'1.1., and Dr. A. K. Newman, JI.P. The grievances at the Wallacevillo end were presented by Messrs. Wilford, .1. Whitcn Henry Ward, and Clifford, ami j)r. v -Newman inado protest against the (rain service 011 behalf of the milk vendors and , consumers iu the city. -M''; Wilford said tiiat a train left Upper Hutt for Wellington at 7.50 a.m., and though this train stopped at Wallacevillo to lako up passengers, the Department refused to take milk on it. This had 1; been the rule sinco June 1 last, lie confessed that ho was quite unable to understand the attitude of the Department. For 30 years the farmers of Wallaceville had had a better service for the carriage of their milk than they had now. As a re- ™„ of recent 1 changes tho farmers nt Wallacevillo had now to eend their milk l- to town by a train which left Upper Hutt at 7 a.m., and which took two hours 4(1 minutes for the run of 1!) or 20 miles into " s the city. (1 Y r -' Clifford said that if the service wero 0 not improved farmers could not carry on business with the city. It would be futile attempt jt in summer, when milk had to bo kept in railway vans for upwards of two hours and .a half. The farmers would ? simply have to tako steps to establish a [' butter factory. Jlr. Herries: llow many cans of milk 1. do ,f ou I'cr day from Wallacevillo n Clifford: About a hundred cans a day 111 the summer lime. Il ,^I r ' Whiteman said that between 30 and 40 farmers in Wallacevillo wero interested ■> 111 the matter. 1 J* 1 '; , No "' mi| n urged that the 7.50 train 1. should stop at Wallacevillo for throe or four minutes longer, and make up the lost j. tune very easily on tho run to Wellington. He could seo no reason whatever " why the deputation should not get what i they wero asking for, which was merely a ) v ,m ' la< ' ' or " vears before. these fanners," lie said, '"'have to get up at .') o'clock in the morning owing to the present service, and the train stops at nine miserable little stations on the way to town. IWo have put up with grievances about railway matters here in f Wellington which aro simply extraordins ary. I hops you will do something- to s remedy them. If you will not be guided s by other people-it is idle Fo disguise this r feature, and I make 110 attempt to do so ~-you will see the reasonableness of what t these' men . ask. Jf I were Jliuister for e Railways for two days, it would be done." Jlr. Whiteman explained further that as compared with the service of the last thirty years tho Wallaceville farmers had now to send their milk bv a train which t left 33-minutes earlier, ami reached the £ city 15 minutes later. ■ Jlr. Ward, 011 behalf of the Dairy j Farmers' Association, asked tho Jliiiisler 3 to supply a return-of the milk sent by 1 (rain (0 Wellington during the month of j November, 19]], and June, 1912. The 1 farmers, he said, were anxious fo regulate the supply in the summer time. Tho Minister advised that tho best course, for the farmers, to follow would 1m to get Jlr. Wilford to ask for the return in tho House. ..As to the train-ser-vice, lie said ho would have to consult with the Department. He promised to inquire very carefully into (he matter, and if the request could be granted he would make tho change suggested. It seemed to liini a reasonable one. Perhaps, however, thero were Departmental difficulties, such as tho shortage of engine power—of which bo was not aware. If the request were granted, the deputation would liavo to stand by liim in tlie matter of similar applications for stops at other stations.