TRAFFIC INCREASES

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 20863, 15 August 1942, Page 4

TRAFFIC INCREASES

GISBORNE RAILWAY MORE MERCHANDISE IN COMING STOCK BOOKINGS The traffic on the Gisbornq railway for .the second week of the.operation of the regular goods trains by night was greater than during the encouraging first week, although the peak load on any one occasion did not come up to the heaviest last week. One of the encouraging features is that the inward merchandise traffic is increasing, appreciably, and one of the trains eorriiffg to Gisborne during the week, carried a maximum logd of 300 tons. The average was maintained at about 200 tons. Both inward arid outward. The inward loads included coal, machinery, posts and baitons. Stock traffic this week was quiet, but heavy bookings are expected next month whqn the- cattle faips commence- Two. cattle faips are scheduled at Matawhero next mqnth, one on September. 1 and 2 and the other, towards the end of the rppnfh. Usually from 3()00 tp. 600 Q cattle are offered at the fairs, and most of the purchases ape sent outside the district, Wairoa and’ Hawkels Bay districts absorbing many Of them, although the greatest: proportioh in. recent years has gone to the. Waikato. Next month, therefore, should be a good test of whether the railway will be used generally fop stock going, tq the Wqikato from the Matawhero sales. That, period, a}so should, give the stock loading yards at the Mat,a.whero railway station, a good ti-y-out and prove whether the arrangements made come fully up to expectatiqns. The yards have been arranged on the most modern lines, and they are expected to cope with large numbers of sheep and cattle expeditiously. If large numbers of- stock are moved .by rail-, it may be necessary to. arrange for special haulages, if the regular goods trains are not able to cope with the numbers offering. It is too early yet to suggest what might be required until some approximate idea can. be gathered of the size of the offering at the first cattle fair and of the number of buyers who will be operating.