WAR ECONOMY.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XLVII, Issue 13050, 12 January 1917, Page 1

WAR ECONOMY.

RAILWAY RUNNING—SHOULD IT BE CURTAILED? (Special to Oamaru Mail.) . Wellington, .Janpary 10. Some of the Military Service Boards have suggested the cutting down of" the railway services, so as 1 to allow more trained railwaymen to be spared for war work of more dirc-ct character tliiin transporting food for the troops. Wlien a South Island railwayman appeared before one of these bodies last "week inference was made to the special trains he had to deal with, and the assumption appeared to be that these were niojitlv luxuries. But it turns out that, thev were stock specials, which Gould hardly be done without _ xinlesa New Zealand is prepared to let its producing capacity fall below the present hhrh level. Railway authorities in Wellington do not appear to 'be contemplating any war time economy initi!• the general public sets the 'example by declining to go oil holiday trips. The money, gets" into the country's exchequer, in-ste-ul of other channels, and- surprisingly little extra staff, is required for excursion traffic. Railwaymen are working a good deal of overtime, not ir> running race trains. When excur- 1 j sion trains are on the line, they usually jr:t: when ordinary goads traffic is down ' fo wo. The indications are that the Railwav Department will be move satisfied with a good: holiday haul of fares than by forcing economy upon a rommunity obviously not inclined for if.