TRAIN SERVICES

Evening Post, Volume XCIII, Issue 130, 1 June 1917, Page 8

TRAIN SERVICES

ALLEGED SHIPPING DELAY

DOMINION EFFICIENCY

INVOLVED,

"One special train per day for tli© conveyance of waterside workers and others working on ships containing Government cargo or coal, or on Government transports, will be supplied on the Lyttelton and Port Chalmers lines at night by the Railway Department.

"Requisitions for special trains are to be made by either the Minister of Defence or the Minister of Munitions and Supplies.

"Requisitions are to be made through the Collector of Customs or some other responsible officer, who will' communicate with the district traffic manager not later than 12 noon of the day on which,the special is required." The above is the decision of Cabinet in regard, to request for late train, from LyOtejltoa to Ohnistclrarch. to .convey shipping workers to their homes. The decision was read to a representative deputation from phristchurch and Lyttelton. which waited on the Minister of Railways yesterday to urge that the curtailed railway service between the Port of Lyttelton and Christchurch be so modified that a late train be run to enable waterside workers livon the Christchurch side of the Lyttelton tunnel' to return to their homes when detained at the port at night loading or unloading ships. The deputation consisted of Messrs. H. Holland (Mayor of Christchurch), W. T. Lester (Mayor of Lyttelton), H F. Bourn (President Canterbury Chamber of Commerce), and Mr. A. Kaye (Chairman of the Lyttedton Harbour Board). Mr. W. Ferguson (Chairman I of the Efficiency Board)- and Mr. J. A. ! Frostick (Canterbury Commifisioner of the Efficiency Board) were present, and supported the deputation in their request. A report of the Minister's statement of the Government's policy in regard to railway services during the war appeared in last night's Post. After the Minister had stated the decision of the Government, Mr. Frostick, on request of the deputation pointed out that no-pro-vision was made fpr inclement weather. If owing to rain it was utterly impossible to work during the day, and it cleared up in the evening, such a contingency should be provided for. The Hon. Mr. Herries said the Government's decision was supposed to be a general instruction. The details could- be left to those working the scheme. Mr. E. H. Hiley (General Manager of Railways): "I will see that this arrangement is carried out in a reasonable way. There is only one point I would like to make clear, if this deputation, is going to.discuss the matter with me. The question of extending tha arrangement to other ships is not in my hands. It is a Cabinet matter. I have my definite instructions from Cabinet as ; to the extent, to which the prese"^ timetable ' can 'be relaxed; and it goes no further than trains for waterside workers at night; and I give you my guarantee that the arrangement will be made as elastic as possible." Mr. Hiley, proceeding, said '_ he would _ get over the point about notice being given not later than, noon on the day the train was required if he was convinced that notice could not. be given before that hour. If he found there ' was good reason, the Railway Department would not. raise any difficulty about that. Mr. A. Kaye dwelt on the importance of enabling coastal coal steamers to discharge their cargoes at Lyttelton. j The Hon. Mr. Herries said he desired to emphasise the fact that he did not want to do any harm to Lyttelton. This was a Dominion scheme, and was not directed against Lyttelton. He admitted that Lyttelton had the difficulty of the tunnel, but Auckland had something eke j and cither ports had other difficulties. He had tried' to put before the deputation the railway side of the question, and to show them that this was part of a general scheme. He admitted the shipping difficulty at Lyttelton, and he was trying to remedy it. He could not go any further than that. He was quite willing that they should, with the assistance of Mr. Hiley, try to amend the scheme. If it could 'be amended in its details the Government wouia be glad to put it into effect. The principle was that the train was requisitioned, and was not a timetable scheme.

Mr. W. Ferguson (Chairman of the Efficiency Board) vigorously supported the request of the deputation, and in the interests of efficiency in the 'Dominion he advocated a widening of the scope of the Government's decision co far as intercolonial and shipping generally at Lyttelton was concerned. He pointed out that Lytteltqn owing to the tunnel, was in quite a different position to other ports. He could not believe that Cabinet had ever looked at the question from that point of view—or grasped the matter —or it would not have come to such an absurd position. Mr. Herries remarked that personally he did not know that Cabinet had looked at it from that point of view. , Mr. W. Ferguson said if the Railway Department in its wisdom decided that no train should leave Lyttelton after 6 o'clock in the evening it meant that the whole of the work of the port would be suspended at 6 o'clock. Cabinet had modified that by saying that for certain Imperial purposes a train should be run; but that did not fill the bill. "What was required was that shipping should be run efficiently, and if waferside workers worked late they should be taken through the tunnel by train to their homes. That could be simply done by means of a shunting engine and carriage. Mr. Ferguson read a letter on the subject which the Efficiency Board had sent that day to the Government. Mr. Herries remarked that he had not yet seen the letter. Mr. W: Ferguson said that on a small payment' being made shipping companies, etc., should be enabled to arrange for a train to run np to 9.45 or 10.15 to take the workers home after they had finished work at night. Mr. Herries replied that that matter would come before Cabinet later on for consideration.

. Mr. H. Holland said he thought the resnlt of the disputation was "nil." Mr. W. Ferguson did not think bo. Mr. Holland then warmly expressed the opinion that they could not get anything in Christchurch unless Auckland consented to it. This statement was made a propos of a remark by Mr. Herries that he had just received a letter from Mr. Parr, Mayor of Auckland, saying that if Lyttelton got this train Auckland would agitate until it also got a late train. Mr. Holland protested against such a position. "That shows clearly," added Mr. Holland as a parting shot, "that Auckland gets a great deal more than its share of public expenditure." It was understood that the members of the deputation would communicate •with Mr. Hiley in regard to the details of the proposed arrangement.