THE TRAMWAYS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVII, Issue 17949, 16 November 1918, Page 7

THE TRAMWAYS.

\ CURTAILED SERVICE. Forty-two men were absent from the morning shift on the tramways yesterday. A much curtailed service has been adopted, .but the longer runs aro working on the usual schedule. Yesterday afternoon, on some of tho suburban seotions, the Sunday timetable was resorted to. The number of passengers travelling over the whole of the ,system was, however, comparatively small. The general manager of tho tramways (Mr F. stated yesterday that no trams would be run on Sliuday. The Tramway Board has now placed three more inhalation cars fully equipped at the disposal of the Health Department, making the total number of oars so appointed by the hoard up to sixteen. Tho additional cars will be placed at loops and sidings not required for tramway purposes. The board intends that more cars shall be equipped should the demand necessitate it. It has also been decided to remove the fixed windows from cabin cars so as to provide greater ventilation.

RAILWAY SERVICE.IN DIFFICULTIES.

When a reporter called upon Mr F. A. Grant, of the railway traffic department, yesterday, his opening remark was: "Wo are just worrying along. That is really all I can say. There aro a huge number of men sick. Those who go off cannot return in a day or two." Mr Grant, further stated that very few of those who had reported sick when the epidemic actually became acute in Christchurch had returned to duty yet- If many more of tho various staffs were laid up Mr Grant said that he did not know what they would do. Fortunately, there was not a great deal of goods traffic just now, which permitted of a curtailment of tho goods service. Very few passengers were travelling just at present. "Wo are finding it particularly hard," concluded Mr Grant. " For a long time we have been short of trained men, and when these positions become vacant now, through the sickness, wo are confronted with a difficult problem. It is, not right or safe that a man who has not properly recovered from the complaint should come back to a class of duty where a failure through weakness caused by influenza would endanger not only himself but others. We'll carry on, though, till we are driven back to the last ditch." THE TELEGRAPH SERyiCE. Yesterday it was reported by the officer in charge of tho Christchurch Telegraph Offico that fourteen telegraph operators were away> a number which would probably be increased to twenty before tho day was out; four counter clerks were off duty, and there was a deficiency of twenty-four message boys. Out of a staff of eight dispatch clerks only two were at work. The position in the telephone* exchange is just on a par with other parts of the service—there is but a ■small proportion of the ordinary staff left to carry on. This being tho case, tho officer in charge asks that usera of tho service will refrain from asking Unnecessary questions, but simply and clearly state the number they want. It is not a time when any delay can be tolerated, if tho service is to bo kept at a reasonable standard. Arrangements have been made in respect to subscribers' houses when there are urgent cases of sickness that, on a nomination from a doctor's telephone, special attention shall be paid to sick calls. LAKE COLERIDGE STAFF. Mr Lawrence Birks, Government engineer in charge of the Lake Coleridge electric power scheme, stated yesterday that nearly half of the staff in the. various branches veere suffering from tho ailment, bub ho hoped to be able to carry on the system as usual.