Patea & Waverley Press MONDAY, JULY 14, 1914 THE RAILWAY FIASCO

Patea Mail, Volume XLIII, 14 July 1919, Page 2

Patea & Waverley Press MONDAY, JULY 14, 1914 THE RAILWAY FIASCO

THE newly - appointed General Manager of Railways, in a somewhat lengthy explanation of the circumstances that necessitated the curtailment of the railway services, endeavours to show that no one is to blame and that the present highly unsatisfactory state ol‘ affairs has arisen principally through the war. So far as we can see, however, the General .Manager’s statement serves but to bring out in bold relief the incapacity displayed by the authorities from first to last. To begin with, Mr. McVilly admits that for many years past the Government, instead of taking steps to open up t he vast deposits of coal known to exist in this country was content to depend to the extent of from 45 to 48 per cent upon its supplies for railway purposes from overseas. Surely if, as is stated, the annual consumption of coal by the Department was 280,000 tons and the reserve stock in hand in 191.3 was only 80,000 tons, common prudence should have warned the officials that unless prompt measures were taken to obtain more coal within the Dominion, the Department would be short of nearly half its annual supply. As a matter of fact the wonder is that the shortage was not felt long since in the early stages of the war. The excuses made arc very plausible biit they would have carried greater weight had the curtailment of the train services occurred two years or even twelve months ago when more of the country’s man-poAver was engaged at the front. The General Manager also states very emphatically that year by year, in consequence of inability to obtain supplies, caused sometimes by reduction of shipping, sometimes by reduction of coal output, the reserve stock had been eaten into, until it reached a point where the stock Avas only equal to fourteen days’ consumption, while the supplies in sight up to the middle of August, viz., 9000 tons, Averc not sufficient to carry the Department over another fortnight. With the position becoming so acute the authorities could surely have taken steps long since to overcome the difficulty, even if they had gone so far as to obtain supplies of coal from South Africa, America or Japan. We cannot believe that the shipping shortage Avas to blame now that the war has been over for practically eight months, in fact so vast Avas the number of ships employed in transporting munitions as avcll as men to the front, that there must be a number of vessels available for coal and other transport Avork. Quite recently an officer of the mercantile marine, describing the scene at Cardiff, declared that one Avould scarcely knoAV that the British had ever had ever had a ship torpedoed. In one port alone, he said, there Avcre no fcAver than 2.15 large steamers ranging from 500 to 5000 tons. The same state of affairs could be seen all along the coast, at Portsmouth, Liverpool GlasgoAv and Swansea. Hundreds of ships Avcre entering port and at Manchester recently in the courseof one day 20,000 tons of shipping had been loaded and discharged. This, if it means anything at all, means that there is an abundance of shipping afloat Avhich could be utilised to convey coal to the Dominion. In vieAV of the facts that have been made knoAvn recently Avith regard to the falling off of the Ncav Zealand coal output, arrangements could surely have been made to obtain a supply of coal from OA r erseas. It Avould be interesting to note Avhat steps the authorities actually took to remedy the position, which they knew Avas bound to arrive if their efforts Avcre unsuccessful. Confirmation of the opinion that the Government has slioavh gross ineptitude Avith regard to the Avholc situation is afforded by the absence of any information in the lengthy explanation of the General Manager of Railways as to lioav the situation is yet to be met. Arc the authorities going to continue running the curtailed train sendee until a reserve slock of coal is built up, and are they going to be content in the future to struggle along from hand to mouth Avith 48 per cent, of the coal needed dependent on the amount received from overseas? If as Mr. McVilly slates no less Ilian' 280,000 tons are needed each year for the railway alone and only about 140,000 of this is obtainable from the Ncav Zealand mines, whose output, according to 1 lie Hoard of Trade returns, shows a falling off each year, then it is high time one of two things Avas done—cither a contract entered into Avith some outside coal mining concern for the supply of the annual amount needed or promptsteps taken to Avork the coal bearing areas in our midst. It is insulting the intelligence of the people to suggest that nothing more than has been done can be effected to relieve the present situation which is growing more and more acute each day. If (he authorities cannot do move than has already been accomplished then the sooner they give place to those Avho can the belter it avi 11 be for all concerned. This country is one of the best endoAved and most favourably situated on the face of the globe/ and its public Avorks

and raihvays and other undertakings should be an example for the rest of the Avorld to follow. Instead of Avhich they are fast becoming a by-Avord among the people. The time is surely ripe, and more than ripe, for a change.