SUBURBAN NIGHT TRAINS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17069, 30 July 1917, Page 3

SUBURBAN NIGHT TRAINS

I * DEPARTMENT'S EXPLANATIONS CONTRADICTED. LATE TRAINS COULD EASILT BE RUN. The reasons given by tho Minister of Railways for declining to accede to the request to run late trains to tho suburbs on .Friday nights instead of on Saturday nights are stated, with emphasis, by railwaymon to bo without foundation. The Minister stated:—" . . . tho necessity Jor liberating more men for active service has already resulted in increasing the hours of those remaining." Ono of our reporters was shown the timo books of Otago drivers and firemen to prove that within tho last lew months their overtime has fallen away to practically nothing. Where a few months ago 55 hours and over were worked in a W n b- now Jt takes a driver and a fireman all ins time to get in his 48 hours. As a matter of fact, it is stated, with authority, that many of the drivers and firemen havo to work in tho engine sheds to' make up then: 48 hours. It is not denied that there is a shortage of cleaners in tho Dunedin sheds, but this is said to bo the fault of tho department itself. In Dunedin there havo always been plenty of youths desiring to learn tho trade of engine-drivers—more youths, in fact, than m any other centre of tho dominion. These lads, earning about 5s and 5s 6d a day, were, however, quickly transferred to other centres—they were taken from their homes— and practically the whole of them soon left the service, returnin-r to Dunedin or following other avocations in the towns to which they had been transferred. So consistent •was the call on Dunedin lads that the local Drivers and Firemen's Association made representations to the department on the matter, but did not receive much satisfaction. Had tho youths been left in Dunedin it is considered they would have stayed on at the sheds. One engine-driver stated that tho department s explanation why it could not run trams on Friday nights—or, in fact, on every night in the week—was "all bunkum." He said that the number of special goods trains had now fallen off to such a marked extent —he could offer>no explanation for the pronounced decrease—that had a largo number of railwaymen not gone to tho war he did not know what would have happened—there would havo been no work for them. "It is all piffle," was the reply received ? ° ur reporter -when he asked a member of the clerical staff what he thought of the department's exouses. "What do you think of them "ho queried in turn. The reporter diffidently suggested that perhaps a wellknown railway official in Wellington (he was not referring to Mr Hiley) had got his back up and would not give way. "You have put it in a nutshell," came the answer. "It remains for the newspaper to demand a commission, and it would knock tho whole explanations of the department flat. It is a shame," he concluded.

A Dunedin citizen connected with the local Efficiency Board tersely summed up his opinion of the statement by tho department in regard to the usefulness 'of the Saturday night trains. "They are picture theatre and pub. trains," said he. To sum up tho result of the inquiries of our reporter, he found tho Railway Department and its employees in direct conflict. The department states that the late suburban trains cannot bo conveniently run. Tho Dunedin employees say that they can.