RAILWAY TRUCKS

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 61, 15 March 1924, Page 9

RAILWAY TRUCKS

SERIOUS SHORTAGE W AUCKLAND

DEPARTMENT CRITICISED.

- 181 TEUGKAPK.-^EI'ECUI, TO THE POST.)

AUCKLAND, This Day. ■ A mosl alarming condition of affairs in regard to the lack- o! railway freight' wp.gons in this district.-was revealed in course of a tour of inquiry in the city o.i Thursday. Finn after- firni which handle heavy commodities in considerable quantities join in n gejieral chorus of complaint, not against the local railway traffic authorities, who all admit are achieving wonders with the plant at-their disposal, but against the general management, which has allowed plant to fall so deplorably short of requirements. As one man put it, the largest business in the country has displayed a lack of foresight that could hardly be excused in a six-dray carrying concern. Already complaints have been- made as to the shortage of coal trucks at the mines. On Thursday some startling information was obtained as *,o the shortage of trucks on the wharves. The 'Waihora ■is now discharging phosphate. Her average daily discharge for ten days was 370 tons. If there had been sufficient trucks BQO tons would have been discharged. CoaJ boats are repeatedly hung up for lack of trucks A striking case was that of the Wairuna, which arrived with 63Q0 tons of conl on loth February. She did not leave until 26th February. It is computed that . with reasonoMe railway facilities the vessel could have been." discharged five and a half days. Thus, allowing for a half-day on Saturday and for Sunduv the Wairmia was nearly six days longer in ].-.)il than was necossarv.