BUSINESS MEN'S VIEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVI, Issue 17205, 5 July 1919, Page 10

BUSINESS MEN'S VIEWS.

RESTRICTIONS CRITICISED. . CONSERVATION OF COAL. REGULATING PRIVATE USE. Various aspects of the railway curtailments were discussed by the council of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce at its meeting yesterday afternoon. The subject was introduced by Mr. T. Peacock, -who raised the matter of liquor being carried on the trains, I The president, Mr. M. M. McCallura, ' sftid that on the previous day a consignment of lemonade was refused by the Railway Department, but the consignee was told that if he altered the consign- j rnent note to read " beer " it would be ! accepted. This was done, and the lemonade was carried by train. j Mr. R. Barns said his firm had been refused carriage on the railway for hospital necessities. Yet liquor was being carried. The President : The coal shortage does ! not explain the anomalies existing under , j the restrictions. j j Mr. Burns quoted a Waikato corres- '■ pendent to the effect that there were 1200 tons of coal in the Frankton railway ' yards, and further supplies were coming in. The correspondent asserted that there was ample coal in sight at Frankton to enable a full service to be run from there I to Auckland and back for three months. j Talk of General Disorganisation. Mr. Burns said he thought the figures ' given by Mr. R. W. McVilly, General I Manager of Railways, as to the "coal stocks |on hand were open to question. If a rei duction in trains were necessary it should 1 have been made gradually. The Main i Trunk expresses were of the utmost im- ' portance to the Dominion. The President: It practically blocks ' the mail services. It seems ridiculous that there should not be two or three expresses a week. ! Mr. Hudson : The Government must ' ■ know the position better than we do. J I Mr. Burns : The higher powers of the I 1 Railway Department have shown so little acumen in the past five years that I do , ; not consider we should leave anything to i them. ' : Mr. Hudson: Every other Department ! is as slack as the railways. The whole ; country ie in a state of disorganisation. | The president said that some people i thought more Taupiri coal cou'.d be used I on the railways. Mr. J. H. Jackson suggested that the J coal shortage was only an excuse, and that there was something else behind »'. Restrictions on Private Use of Goal. Mr. M. M. Louisson eaid the Government could surely conserve coal in other ' ways than by curtailing the trains, Semething could be done, he considered, in the ' j way of reducing private consumption, j j Mr. E. C. Browne asked why the pre- j sent trains need stop at Palmerston North ! and Taumarunui for the night ''. Why . should they not run straight on and so , .save half a* day? As to economy of coal, : all the suburban trains leaving now had i two engines instead of one. There was no ! . saving of coal under the present arrange- j j mints. Mr. J. H. Upton said he did not think lit credible, as some one suggested, that ( the Government was curtailing the railway ■ service* in order to inconvenience tho i community. Mr, Louisson moved that the Minister ! for Munitions, the Hon. A. M, Myers, be | urged to immediately issue regulations ■ with a view to the strictest economy of coal for general use. " j Mr. A. A. Martin, speaking unofficially ' as secretary of the Board of Coal Control. i ■ said that restrictions were in force, and that more stringent ones still were o be enforced very soon. I - The president said that the general public knew nothing of these regulations. I Mr. Martin said they bad been gazetted. | and were known to the coal dea.ers and ; distributor?. ! Attt-r SOJIO further discussion the motion was withdrawn in favour of one moved by Mr. Hudson: —" That an assurance be I j sent to the Minuter for Munitions that } I this chamber is confident that the public iof Auckland would willingly submit to , any reasonable restrictions in the use of I fuel and light for domestic purposes and i public lighting, in the hope of facilitating I the early resumption of the railway serl vice*." 1 This was carried.

FEUEZItNG HANDS DISCHARGED. ACTIOS AT BURN" SIDE. [bt telegraph.— ASSOCIATION'. DUNEDIN. Friday. Owing to railway restrictions killers ami assistants at thp. Refrigerating I Company's works at Burnside were paid off last- night. But for the railway stoppage slaughtering would have gone on till the end of July. j In reply to the president of tho Limed in Chamber of Commerce, the Minister for Railways said he regretted ; ihf could not extend the rest! ii'tions in i I order* to allow of the carriage of rabbit- ! ! skins consign*'! by rabbiters. The pro- I ; jwased time-table was the maximum that could he undertaken, and if the coal po?i- ---: lion did not improve it, was not. certain that even tho present time-table could be ; maintained. , REFUSAL Cl' BUILDING MATERIAL j • REPLV BY THE MINISTER. I [BY TEI.EGEj.Pa.—OWN couHEsroN'DzxT.l I i 1 I WANG AX UI. Friday. j ; The rotary 01 the Carpenters' and ■ Joiners' Union, Mr. J. Ross, received the , following telegram to day, in reply to a, ' message which he forwarded to the Mink- : : ter for Railways:—Received your tele- 1 ;*rum with reference to building material. , I very much regret that the necessity has • , arisen for tho drastic curtailment of the j time-table, which has been forced on the j Department, owing to dire necessity. Hav- • j ill ijf regard to the position and prospr< II f the coal supply, the proposed timetable jis l lie maximum that can be undertaken. .mil 1 reiiv-'t that the i cslrictions cannot j Iv extended. so a." to allow of the carriage i • f building materia!?. •Unfortunately. if ! the ma! position does not improve, it is ' not ceitain that the present time table can ;be maintained.--VV. Herriw." I In reply to this message, Mr. P.n?s sent 1 | the following telegram:—'' mir tr-j c gtnrn jto hand. I can only express surprise that ; yon consider beer, wine, anil spirits of : more importance to the community than • building material.—J. Ross. '" | ; NEED FOR BEAN AND POLLARD. ! | NEED FOE BRAN AND POLLARD, I j i | iARMiIR.S UNION" REQUEST. ! i i ■ ! ! [BY TEJ Cbft.tPH. — PKHSS association:, j | I ( lIRISTCHCRCH. Friday. 'I'll-- j.r.iidtiit. of the Farmers' Union has urged the Minister for Railways to put bran and pollard on the fame footing for i jiiiaiio on the railways tie chaff, other v. is. it will have a serious effect on the and poultry business. The Minister replied that he would give (..ireful consideration to the mutter, UNFORTUNATE TRAVELLERS. FORCED TO V'ALK STREETS. [BY TELEGRAPH.--PRESS ASSOCIATION] TIM ARC. Friday. • J!. '•* w tram artangemenl,-; are causing j j ! =•■ i d.-hio I" travellers' Last night over ' I 30"> passengers. including the Williamson •'[^i a. < 'i.niyany of about eighty, ai'i i% from I):inedin and brie iur-.h. The j hotels and boat dinghoiiKec were unable to ■ ;■< '1 mmoihile all. and it is stated that I tome men walked the streets all night. i ■