RAILWAY ROLLING STOCK.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 11198, 22 August 1898, Page 3

RAILWAY ROLLING STOCK.

—: r* ~— I The Wellington correspondent.-of the Lyttelton Times reports that a deputation, headed by Mr Morrison, and consisting of the Hon. J. G. Ward and Messrs Millar, Larnach, Guinness, and Car.ncross, waited on the Hon. A.. J. • Cadman, Minister for Railways, with re-' gard to the re-employment of the...railway artisaus recently thrown out of work, and the borrowing of a sum of £100,000 ;in addition to the amount of £200,000 included in the proposed half-million loan for new-rolling ! stock, etc. After laying their views before ' I the Minister, Mr Cadman said that before S I Captain Russell's amendment was moved the ! department had made arrangements'to put on jBO men. He had seen that the feeling of the : House was in. favour of the money being i j granted for. the fresh railway proposals, and ; just before the deputation came in he' was in; j consultation with Mr Ronayne, general man- j ageri as to the material required to enable : the whole of the men to be employed. As to ; the requirements in the way of increased rol- j ling stock, it was true that there had been an abnormal increase in traffic during the past two years, and. the information, which the department had obtained as to the increased area of land under crop in the South Island pointed.: to the prospect of a record season for the ! colony. At the same time it would not be» safe to go in-too largely for/ rolling stock, "because the present traffic might not continue. The vote of £200,000 was passed in September last, and by -the end of March they had run-, ning 189 L high-side waggons, 32 N platform ~ waggons for the carriage of-timber, 13 frozen ! meat trucks, two cool trucks for carrying butter and fish, six sheep' trucks, five cattle : trucks, six horse boxes, and several minor j things. Since' the end of the financial year j .there had been'added 230 light-high-side wag- ■) I g0n5,,.4,0 N,platform, tirqber waggons, six coal I trucks, three horse boxes, .and .four bogiecovered goods trucks. He also, expected to have the.balance of,the list out, part during ■ | the preserit month and the rest in September, 'which would, complete the list in the pro- \ j gramme of last year. The energies of the workshops would be mostly concentrated on ~ I turning out new trucks, "and orders had been sent Home for axles and other, requisites which could not be "made in the colony, and ; | as it came to hand the work would be pushed | on. In estimating the-rollihfj stock' required lit was. necessary,.to. make provision for a period, , jof three years. The staff had to be so mnin- ; I tamed as to be equal to any emergency, 'and j j whenever au1 engine 'came into a workshop for j' repairs men. must be "immediately available j for the work, and there,must be lighter Tyork j •to keep the men'employed in slack times. In reply to. a question by.Mr V^ard, the Minister said a; certain amount of material had to be ; prepared, and the whole of.the men could not If be'put on for five or six 'weeks,-'because they ; ' would be idle for want of stock. He would : •consult with Mr Ronayne,'. as to' whether' it would be necessary to ask Parliament for another ,'£loo,ooo,' or £300,000 in all. Mir j JRpnayne added that half of the,, number of men discharged had been taken on again,