R. 0.1. CLAIMS
RAILWAYS TRIBUNAL
FUNCTIONS OF BRANCHES
Several more heads of branches of the Railways Department made statements on the organisation and functions of their branches to the Railways Industrial Tribunal today in connection with the claims of the Railway Officers' Institute. They were the Chief Engineer, Mr. H. C. Lusty, the Chief Mechanical Engineer, Mr. P. R. Angus the Signal and Electrical Engineer, Mr' G. W. Wyles, and the Comptroller of Stores, Mr. A. H. Sage. In reply to questions, Mr. Lusty said that it would be impossible at present to carry out much more capital work. The general conditions now prevailing did not require that much capital work should be done. In addition to shortage of staff, both engineering and outside, there was a very grave shortage of some materials. A good deal of work in a certain class was in arrear, such as general improvements in a large number of station yards, but no work that actually affected the safety of the track was behindhand. When peace came the work of the maintenance branch would increase considerably.
Mr. Wyles said that maintenance in his branch was quite a bit behindhand, with the exception that there had been no let-up on work to maintain, the safety standard.
In the course of his statement Mr. Angus said that Diesel railcars, which had been brought into use in recent years, had proved a convenient and suitable means of travel in certain districts and their use generally would no doubt increase in the future. Larger units of the Diesel-electric type were under consideration for adoption on certain sections where services could be improved by that form of traction. The New Zealand-built railcars now in service were of the Diesel type with hydraulic transmission. Those that had been imported were also of the Diesel type but had mechanical transmission. There were no Diesel-electric railcars in New Zealand.
Mr. Angus set out the numbers of locomotives and vehicles in service as follows: —Steam and electric locomotives, 635; cars, 1508; railcars, 22; multiple units, 12; vans, 504; wagons, 31,184. ,
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Bibliographic details
Evening Post, Volume CXXXVIII, Issue 128, 27 November 1944, Page 6
Word Count
346R.O.I. CLAIMS Evening Post, Volume CXXXVIII, Issue 128, 27 November 1944, Page 6
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