STOCK TRUCKS AT BURNSIDE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27345, 22 March 1950, Page 6

STOCK TRUCKS AT BURNSIDE

Sir,—Quite often we read a notice in the papers “ Keep railway wagons moving," but I would like to ask whether the Railways Department does all it can. Burnside saleyards are an example. Stock trucked there on Wednesday afternoons take 12 to 15 hours to go 40 to 50 miles; in the same time they could be near Addington. Stock going short distances could be out in five hours, unloaded the same riight, and the owner could have them in his paddock, instead of breaking into another day. In winter time it may not be possible to get them home, but they could be unloaded and left to rest in yards instead of being kept in trucks 12 hours or longer. Quite a number of these animals are trucked into Burnside the day before, after having travelled on the road. They stand all day in the yards on Wednesday at Burnside and they are lucky if they get a drink. Is it any wOnder they go down in trucks? I have seen some of these animals unable to walk for days. Often when the owner goes to unload stock he finds they are not shunted into the yards and he has to wait hours for an engine to shunt them in. Would it not be as easy for the railway to shunt them off into trucking yards ’when the train arrives? The same thing happens in the busy liming season. Very often the best part of the day is gone before one can get the trucks shunted to unload. If trucks are left standing on a side line where one cannot get them unloaded I think the railways have a lot to do with not keeping them moving.—l am, etc. Help Production.

[The acting district traffic manager, Mr L. A. Lee, stated that he was not prepared to answer the correspondent through the press but would be glad to discuss the whole position with him personally.—Ed., ODT.]