Problem Of Special Trains At Easter

Northern Advocate, 1 April 1946, Page 7

Problem Of Special Trains At Easter

(FA.) CHRISTCHURCH, This Day. I don t know what to do about the problem of Easter travel. We took the risk of running extra trains at Christmas and just got through, but at the 'moment we don't know what to do,’’ declared the Minister cf Railways (Mr Semple) today, commenting on the statements recently made by the chairman of the Buller County Council (Mr J. Ward) as to bituminous coal available on the West Coast. Mr Ward had taken exception to a statement by Mr Semple during an address to the Municipal Conference, when he said that known fields ef bituminous coal on the West Coast would not last more than 15 or 20 years unless other deposits, of which he knew nothing, were found KNOWN FIELDS Mr Semple explained that the difference between himself and Mr Ward was that he was talking about known fields of bituminous coal. Mr Ward was apparently assuming that there were millions of tons as yet unknown to anybody. Mr Semple said that present coal stocks held by the Railways Department were 4400 tons in the North Island and 4300 tons in the South. Weekly consumption in the North Island was 8000 tons and 4000 tons irthe South. It could therefore be seen that only four days’ supply was available in the North Island, and the department had been as low as only two days’ supply on hand. There was little over a week's supply in the South Island. The domestic coal situation had been bad last winter, and there did not appear to be much prospect of improvement in the coming winter.

VATICAN'.—The Vatican was accused of indulging in mischievous politics under an ecclesiastical cloak by the principal of the Manchester Baptist College, Rev. H. Townsend, at an, Anglo-Soviet friendship conference. The Vatican’s political policy was the only serious obstacle to friendship between Britain and Russia, he said, and added, “why does the Vatican set the Catholics of every country against : Hussia?"