RAILWAY RESTRICTIONS

Otago Witness, Issue 3415, 29 August 1919, Page 21

RAILWAY RESTRICTIONS

CONSIDERABLE IMPROVEMENT. RUNNING OF THROUGH TRAINS. WELLINGTON, August 23. Considerable improvement in the railway services has been announced by the Prim© Minister. It is proposed to reinstate trains next week as follows: —Passenger train., to leave Invercargill Monday, 25th, for Dunedin. From Dunedin to Christchurch, Tuesday 26th. Auckland to Wellington 7.10 p.m. on Tuesday, 26th. Wellington to New Plymouth, Tuesday, 26th, correcting with the train from Palmerston North to Napier. Wellington to Auckland, noon, Thursday, 28th. 'New Plymouth to Wellington, Thursday, 28th, connecting with the train from Napier to Palmerston North. Chiistchurch to Dunedin, Thursday, 28th. Dunedin to Invercargill, Friday, 29th. It is hopsd to be able to continue the service on these lines regularly hereafter. Opportunity is being taken to utilise the return services for increasing the haulage of goods, particularly to undertake the carriage of a quantity of urgent timber from the principal sawmilling areas. The coal position is still far from satisfactory, and the extent to which the department will be enabled to carry out its extended facilities will be dependent upon the present position, being maintained. SUPPLIES OF COAL. A SHIPMENT ARRIVES. CHRISTCHURCH, August 24. The Port Victor, with a load of coal for ,the New Zealand railways, arrived in the stream at Lyttelton from Newcastle early this morning. MR SEMPLE'S ALLEGATIONS. (Fkom Oub Own Correspondent.) AUCKLAND, August 24. A short time ago Mr R. Semple, M.P., stated that large quantities of coal were stored at various v railway stations in the North Island, and expressed the opinion that the curtailment of the railway services was due to other causes than a shortage of coal. This was emphatically contradicted by Mr M'Villy. Mr Semple, who arrived m Auckland on Friday night, has reiterated his previous statement. He says: "I have just arrived in Auckland after a three days' journey by train from,Wellington. On the way up I took particular notice of the stocks of coal at various stations, and I also chatted with men on the job at different places—men who were not railway servants, but people who had resided in the different places for-years. These men informed me that there has never been so much coal in the railway yards for the last seven or eight years. My own personal investigations also confirm their statements. I have travelled on the Main Trunk line for the last 14 or 15 years pretty regularly, and I never before saw so much coal in the yards. Not only was there coal in the yards, but trucks were standing full on the sidings at stations. My contention, in view of these facts, is that the present dislocation of the railway service is not due to a coal shortage. I have demanded a public inquiry, but no notice has been taken of that demand. I am informed that the rolling stock is in a deplorable condition, and that the Government has allowed the railway service to run into a dead end. Now they are looking round for a scapegoat on which to lay the blame-. T repeat my demand for an inquiry." TTMBER TRADE. WELLINGTON, August 21. A timber miller stated to-day that about half the sawmills on the Main Trunk line have closed down owing to the curtailment of the railway services, thus throwing several hundred men out of work. CONVEYANCE OF SCHOOL CHILDREN. CHRISTCHURCH, August 21. The Mayor has received the following telegram from the .Hon. W: H. Hemes, Minister of Railways: —"Air Massey has asked me to reply to your telegram of yesterday. Owing to a slight improvement in the coal supplies, the department hopes next week to be able to arrange for the carriage of school pupils to their homes. If by rail, it is necessary that head masters and principals should communicate with tbf> traffic manager. I would be glad to have done this before, but the coal position would not warrant any increase in the passenger traffic to the detriment of the goods traffio, which was considered of more importance to the industries of the dominion. It is also proposed next week to start running one through express per week each way from Christchurch and Dunedin."