FEWER TRAINS

Otago Witness, Issue 3291, 11 April 1917, Page 19

FEWER TRAINS

"EVERY OUNCE OF ENERGY

NEEDED FOR WAR."

IMPORTANT STATEMENT BY MINISTER OF RAILWAYS. The suggested curtailment of railway services throughout New Zealand, and more particularly in its local application, formed the subject of a representative deputation of residents of tho ITutt Valley and others interested to the Minister of Railways (the Hon. W. H. Hemes) on Thursday morn ings (says the Wellington Post). Mention was also made of the proposed abolition of troop trains on Sundays. In replying, the Minister expressed his pleasure at meeting the deputation, _ and hoped he would be pardoned for making a more lengthy statement than was usual under "such circumstances. There was a very special need this year for the country to put every ounce of its energy into -tno vigorous prosecution of tho war. There was now a special appeal to all to sacrifice everything, even their businesses, to endeavour to bring the war to a successful conclusion this year, and the Government was prepared to ask tho people for a radical change in their mode of living, etc. Continuing, Mr Herries said that he wanted to put the case of the Hallway Department clearly before the deputation. It was generally conceded that, since the ballot came into force, if any inconvenience were to be experienced, the Government should sec the example. The Government ooulcl not call on others —farmers and mcrcharts, etc. —if it was"not prepared to set that example by combing out its own do partments, and the Railway Department had always been referred to us the one to which attention should first be paid. What, he asked, had tho Railway Department dono voluntarily? It had sent' away- over 5500 men, including a quarter of its permanent men. Still tho department had carried on —business as usual, —and the people ought to-be thankful to the department for what had been done. Had the newspapers had their way the present suggested curtailment would have come six months ago. The travelling season was now nearly over, and the people would be able to get over Easter, but the department was compelled by public opinion, by Cabinet, and by the Military Service Boards to let more men go. If he were to stand up and say he would not let another man go he was quite sure ho would be asked to resign his position. The Railway Department must bear its ehare. At present there were some 800 men, like Mohammed's coffin, 'twixt air and earth, whose timo of exemption had been extended to May 1. The Military Service Boards -would either have to give further extension or the men would have to go. At the same time, there were some essential men whom the department could not possibly let go. Probably, also, in the next ballot there would be another 200 men.

Then there was another question. The department, as he had said, had carried on as usual, short-handed, but the position was becoming more acute. Was it fair, he asked, that those men who were left behind should be asked to carry on such an enormous business as that of tho Railway Department shortf-handed ? Ifhese (men had been working overtime, long hours without any extra remuneration, and tho people undoubtedly owed a debt of gratitude to them. For the reason he had stated above there must have been some curtailment. THE COAL SHORTAGE.

Dealing with the coal shortage, the Minister referred to Christmas time, qrhen there was a possibility of a general strike At that time, he said, it was quite possible that an oven more drastic thing than the present curtailment would have taken place, but fortunately the clouds had cleared, and they had been able to get supplies. Since then he had been able to accumulate some supplies, but still there was an enormous shortage now, and the prospects were that it would not be relieved at all. ' There was a great shortage of bottoms to carry the coal, and everyone knew that, our own mines had not been keeping up their output. If the railway services were to be continued in full someone would have to go short. The curtailment had been urged from the Old Country, where the position in this respect was regarded as very serious. AN IMPERIAL SUGGESTION. Proceeding; the Minister read a letter from the British Minister of Munitions to the High Commissioner, which had been forwarded to him, and which recommended railway curtailment. The British Government had pointed out that it would be impossible to supply material for locomotives, repairs to rolling stock, etc. Ho wished to assure tho deputation that the whole question had given him and the department considerable concern. They had not entered into the matter in any panic or in any hurry. They were face to face with one question —they had to comb out tho men, and if they did not the time for sending away men of the Second Division would come all the sooner. The Government did not want to do this before all the available single men had been dealt with. The Government would lose revenuo by its proposals; it was sacrificing revenue. They were not adopting these proposals for pleasure or in any spirit of pique with the Defence Department, which thoy were working hand-in-hand. PRIMARY OBJECT, MORE MEN. Then, again, Mr Herries went on, it had been asked, "is the curtailment proposed a proper one?" Ho wished to say that its 'primary object was to get more men for the forces. It had been suggested that ho should close certain "non-essential" lines, such as tho Otago Central line, but by that they would gain very few men—there was only one passenger train per day on that line, and the line and others must be open for goods traffic It would be impossible to close tho goods traffic; they must send away the produce of the country) which was almost as essential as the men. Goods trains must run. THE LOCAL APPLICATION. Tho problem was how to make tho greatest cut; how to get tho most men. The place where tho greatest saving was going to take place was where double, and oven treble, shifts are being worked. Unfortunately, this would fall to the greatest extent on suburban areas, which, ho admitted, would suffer most. That, he contended, must bo so, as it was on those linos that tho bulk of tho men wero employed. It had been Baid that the proposals were not necessary or that the

"cut" was being inado in an unnecessary way. If only a very small number of men were going to bo liberated by the curtailment of suburban trains it would not bo done, but ho could assure them that the proposals wero going to releaso a very largo number of men on tho suburban lines of tho dominion. AVAILABILITY OF WOMEN.

It had been said_ that women and superannuated men might bo employed, but unfortunately tho men who wero wanted—and whom the department had to send —wero tho youngest and most active of its employees, whoso places could not bo taken by tho people mentioned. Women could not do shunting work; they could not go on to the footplates of_ tho engines. Certainly they could go into the offices, but the department was faced with no difficulty there, as there were hundreds of young cadets ready to step in and take their places until the time came (which ho hoped would never come) when they should bo called to the Colours. The great difficulty was that the men who had to he sent were men who could not be replaced. An alteration in the ticket system was proposed ; it was being simplified in order that women might be employed on suburban tnains as ticket-collectors, but woman's work did not lie on the express trains, with tho necessary handling of luggage, etc. The railway service was a trained service, and tho work of a guard on an express train involved tho shunting of trucks, handling of waybills, and a certain measuro of accounting. WHAT THE REQUEST MEANT.

Proceeding, the Minister said that in regard to local conditions he must agree that essential industries might suffer. Ho desired to point out that if ho were to put on a 9 o'clock train' to tho Hutt Valley, as suggested, it would mean that he would have to bring back a second staff. Ho could not ask the other staff to como back after their day's work. If. a second staff wa3 brought on the whole object of the "cut" would be gone. The running of a train meant more than an engine-driver and a guard; it meant signalmen, clerks, ticket-sellers, etc., and, of course, such, a train as that suggested would have to come back to town. He was aware of the difficulty in regard to essential industries, but he would ask them to ihink if there was not sonre other way of getting over the difficulty than by. asking the Railway •Department not to send the men to the front, as that was what the request meant. If s the really essential trains were not run, how was the transport work going to be done? And there was always the possibility of a shortage of coal. The people engaged in the industries referred to —the bosses, he meant —should endeavour to suit their businesses to the train hours so far as possibleHe admitted that there would bo great inconvenience, and perhaps great loss, but all should put their heads together to see if -there was not some way in which _ they could meet the existing state of affairs—a national emergency. Tho department was. endeavouring to provide trains to bring the suburban people into their work and to. take them home again. It was the duty of the department to provide for normal work, but not to provide for abnormal work at the expense of sending men to the front. An effort should be made by the business people to have the work done, as far as possible, within normal hours. POSITION OF TROOP TRAINS.

Referring: to soldiers and troop trains, the Minister said the position was simple. If the Defence Department wanted the trains they had only to say so, and the trains would, bo provided. Tire Government had no desire to inflict any undue hardship on the soldiers, and, as a matter of fact, would lose a very considerable revenue by the abolition of the Sunday trains to and from camp. If the department were to put on a train for the soldiers, would they not bo immediately met by the cry: ' Oh, you put a train on for them, why not for us?" WHAT MAY BE IN STORE. "The truth is," said Mr Hcrries, "that it may come that we shall have to try to prevent you from travelling at all. This is only tho first ' cut,' and when the Second Division time comes a much deeper * cut' may be expected, and it may come to the position in England, where they have to get permission to travel. It may be that we may soon only have two expresses a week to Auckland." Concluding, ho said that there was no desire on the part of the department to do any harm to industries or any harm to education, but the present hours would have to bs altered if possible, that was, if thqy were to carry out their pledges of sending men away. On May 1 1000 men would be coming before the Military Appeal Board, aiid the department would have to make .objections for some of them. He would appeal to the patriotism of tho people to try to see if they could not help in an extremely difficult position. Lot them wait until the new time-table came out, and then tho department would bo glad to meet them in any reasonable requests, so long as they could keep within the boundaries laid down as essential to tho sending of tho maximum number of men with what ho thought was the minimum of inconvenience. In making any sacrifices, he could assure them that they were really helping the British Empire.—(Applause.)