MORE WAGONS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26980, 15 January 1949, Page 9

MORE WAGONS

TRANSPORT BY RAIL COMING WHEAT CROP PA CHRISTCHURCH, Jan. 14. An additional 1500 railway wagons were available this year for transport of goods in the South Island, and, through new systems that had been adopted, from 800 to 1200 more wagons were circulating in the Canterbury district than at this time last year, said the general manager of railways, Mr F. W. Aickin, at a meeting held today to discuss the transport of wheat. Mr Aickin said that, provided there was no undue hold-up of wagons at receiving terminals, no wheatgrower should have any complaint about shortages of railway wagons this year. The Railways Department was prepared to co-operate with growers by permitting them to stack their wheat in railway goods sheds pending loading on railway trucks. The department expected farmers, in using the sheds, to make the best possible use of the space by stacking their wheat, he said. Mr R. J. Lyon, chairman of the New Zealand Flour Millers’ Society, said the flour millers would work overtime and during the week-ends to keep their sidings clear. Brokers and millers proposed to regulate the flow of wheat to each mill to make the greatest use of the intake capacity. Mr C. D. Petersen, district officer of the Transport Department, said that, in view of the necessity for getting the crop in. he had discussed the matter with the No. 3 Transport Licensing Authority, who had agreed to the issue of temporary licences for carriers or for farmers to undertake the carriage of grain for their neighbours if necessary. The meeting expressed the hope that, as the Railways Department had additional wagons this year and an extra burden would be placed on country carriers, they would try to speed up delivery to the railway. It was stated that a uniform method of loading grain and produce into railway wagons, with the bottom tier of sacks loaded upright, was necessary.