WAR ECONOMY.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 14195, 12 January 1917, Page 7

WAR ECONOMY.

» RAILWAY RUNNING. SHOULD IT BE CURTAILED? (Special to Herald.) "WELLINGTON, this day. Some of the Military Service Boards have suggested the cutting down of the railway services, so as to allow of more trained railwaymen to be spared for war work of more direct - character than transporting food for the troops. When a South Island railwayman appeared before one. of these) bodies last .week, reference was made* to the special trains he had to deal with, and the assumption appeared to be that these were mostly luxuri-' ous. But it turns out that they were stock specials, which could hardly be done without unless New Zealand is prepared to let its producing capacity fall below the present high level. j Railway authorities in Wellington do not appear to be contemplating any war i time economies until the general public! sets the example by declining to*. go on holiday trips. The money* gets into the country's exchequer, instead of other channels, nad surprisingly : little extra staff is required for excursion traffia. Railwaymen. are working a good deal of overtime, not in running race trains. When excursion trains. are pn the line, they usually go when ordinary goods traffic is down to zero. The indications i are that the Railway Department will be [ more satisfied with a good holiday haul I of fares than by forcing economy upon a community obviously not inclined for. it. ■