TIMBER WAGONS

Greymouth Evening Star, 10 March 1939, Page 2

TIMBER WAGONS

OBJECTION TO STATEMENT. Exception to the use of the ‘•alleged shortage” by Mr L- •- Maishall stationmaster at Greymoitlh ins statement in the “Star” yesterday in reference to timber wagons, was taken to-day by two represent;!. lives of the milling industry on the \\e.j Coast. ..... ... Jn a statement, given Io a him > porter, one of these representatives stated that he considered tm< • > Marshall’s use of the word alleged was hardly lair, in that he subsequently admitted that a shot age timber wagons did exist, while H shortage was only too plain to <• those who were dispatching unbe from Greymouth. Mr Marshall had made reference to the use ol wagons for cargo being discharged irom the ss Matthew Flinders, but it had been ascertained that the total cargo discharged from the vessel, including general cargo which had to pass through the goods sheds, was only about. 301) tons, or sufficient to require 12 U.B. wagons. Further, lor the greater part of the time that the Matthew Flinders was working the port, she was the only vessel requiring timber, so that shippers might well ask what would be Ute position if, through bar conditions or othei circumstances, two or three vessels were requiring loads al the same time. The Railways Department, was prepared to admit that a shortage ol wagons existed in other parts of New Zealand, so why not. do the same in regard to the West Coast, where a shortage had been felt, and commented upon, for a long time?

A statement that less flat wagons (U.B. and U.) were now available on the West Coast than was the ease a few years ago, was made by another millers’ representative. Much of the timber, he said, was now being dumped on to L wagons (with sides) which were not. nearly so convenient to handle as the flat wagons, while they also caused delays and losses in loading. The flat wagons, which were designed for the transport, of timber, were being used for other purposes on the East Coast, once they left the West Coast with timber, and while this was understandable to a certain extent, in that they could not be returned empty immediately, one could not get away from the fact that the Railways Department did not have enough rolling stock.