THE PORT TRAINS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 12193, 17 December 1917, Page 6

THE PORT TRAINS.

CURTAILMENT OF SERVICE.

ANOTHER PUBLIC PROTEST. )

The Chamber of Commerce Hall was til filled on Saturday evening, when i meeting was held to protest agaitlst the withholding of an evening train between Christ-church and Lyttelton, with consequent heavv losses to tho community, and also to pass resolutions on the subject, to be submitted to Sir Joseph Ward on Wednesday next, whan a deputation will wait on him at the hall.

Dr Thacker, M.P., presided, and those on the platform included the Mayor (Mr H. Holland), Mr G. Witty, M.P., Mr E J. Howard and Mr L. M. Isitt, M.P.

Apologies for unavoidable absence were received from Mr H. F. Wigram, Mr C. O'Donncil, president of the Trades and Labour Council, Mr A. W. Jamieson, Mr R. Jav and Mr W. M. Tycrs. Mr Wigram wrote that he was sorry to be unable to attend to protest against' the refusal of the Government to grant a late train to Lyttelton. Personally, it did not appear to him to be a provincial matter, but one of war-winning importance, as affecting the speedingup of the food-carrying merchant rineA MATTER OF EFFICIENCY. The chairman said that there was no apology necessary for calling the meeting, which he hoped would be determined. and set tho text for tho deputation to Sir Joseph "Ward oi Wednesday next It was a lucky coincidence ♦W. the Efficiency Board conference wi* to be held here next week, as the .-- : i )e rs could be invited to join m , the deputation to the Minister. »>ort train was a matter or etnv. (Hear, hmr.) Definite repots had been prepared for that <<-'s meeting, and the spe-akeis -.■■Vted all sections of the commuFul! freedom of speech would be r] and opportunity would be to all to express their opinions. ' hackpv veoalled Avhfit hncl taken in the Hone and the recom- - I ,tion of the Railway Committee. , ; -idded that the Cabinet lyul not g : ven the matter any c °"*{. der f f {""i .Mr Massev and Sir J°» : ph 'i, 1 added to the B , E d, with Mr Ferguson and Mrlio*. h*. rSSed^bein 'wiS\va "ho Railway Der,'fC Vc i £•' It should be the partment s _po icj • adrainistratt&'XSr*# Ms interest of the ooran '' l " )1 r ' ( | !v . ny Ymfiic tnVdrive "traffic* "roads? ' Lytteldid 'f lislied articles how Canto rur> was being des f rt< 4* y nort v/ Cantervigorous men foi tl.e bi n hr i ß ht. which bury was losing hairy was being taken a \ a i w which hand of ÜB Thcv~ should "ot he meant Auckland J nc> l iaVe to beg and T>ia> to g feVonc«' of s»*">,» ciirisfcchnrch about ci.ristT S "hiding church co-lid >ecoin u Auf . tralsisia trial city of the -j^ 10 presentgiven proper facibt e.. Chris I '- positiok «. °n mhi ehm-cli, and ri n(] lint SCt/JS'sSuf/to domin'Hc th. & ° WSsS'IN ALL DIKFXTIOXS Mr A. Kaye, who is chairman of the Lyttelton Harbour Board, moved << That it is imperative in the interest of trade and commerce that A e Tivttolton tram service be so lai nsuiiied as to facilitate Ihe urgent shipping requirement ot church and the surrounding districts "

- said that there was little new to us 3 'i' the necessity roi ; train demanded, as _ the de'■;ad been going on for some But time had shown clear;y '■i I ,' were losing by the cuitail- • s "the railway traffic The revt- ; the Lyttelton Harbour Loard eleven months ended Novem- .. totalled £62,220, and for tuta mrruhs ended November, 1917, .•eauo was £50,170, a shortage of : 050. He would not say that all L; ; shortage was due to the curtailment of the train traffic, but a good proportion was- The agitation for reinstatement must continue. (Hear, could give them many instances of how losses were being incurred. About a curred. About a fortnight ago tho Monowai came to Lyttelton with 800 tons to land and with 1800 tons of outward oargo awaiting shipment. Owing to the fact that the port could not be worked after 6 p.m., only 905 tons of this outward cargo could be taken. Such happenings were frequent, causing loss all round to the snipping companies, the merchants, the waterside workers and to the Harbour Board. Cargo, too, was landed at another port from Sydney, 2nd often it was three weeks before the goods for Lyttelton could be transhipped. Another serious loss to Lyttelton by the present position was the loss of reputation in shipping circles. The speaker gave instances of such loss of refutation certain ports in various parts of the world had suffered, and added that all this time it was getting spread over the world that Lyttelton was a place to be avoided, owing to the disadvantages of getting the cargo discharged. It took years, sometimes, to regain a good reputation for a port. He believed that Mr ililey was the man to decide, and that he would have more to do with the Government's decision than any Minister. In his report, dated August 1, 1914, Mr Hiley had urged the construction of the double line, through the tunnel between Christchurcii and Lyttelton, owing to tho particular circumstances, and they should now use the arguments Mr Hiley theu_ used. The easiest remedy for congestion was to spread the traffic over more hours. In conclusion, Mr Kave said that In the past the Canterbury members of Parliament had not. pnlUd together quite so much as thov - ■ "'it have done in tho interests of the - : ice, but on this question they •1! working in the common cause. ~' VKE UP, CANTERBURY! d. S. Bourn, representing the ..oor of Lomiutrce, seconded the .i, which he said was only half enough. (Hear, hear.) There ul> ;u?ed for him to stress the disines Canterbury was working *anand the present difficulty might ~.ove a blestmg in disguise if it caused

...ueruury 10 n'iUve up. (Applause.) axe did not think there was any difficulty about getting the men to work on the railways, as there were plenty of retired railway men able to replace the men taken for active service- Regarding Mr Hiley's report as to the requirements of railway traffic for Canterbury, the speaker hoped it would prove better than the General Manager's timetable for Canterbury. (Hear, hear.) A strong local committee was necessary to investigate carefully Mr Hiley's 'report, and the recommendation of £500,000 to be spent on the Christchurcb-Port line- A roadway waa

TTITUOE OF DEPARTMENT CRITICISED.

also wanted through the Port Hills, which would cost about £250,000. A further matter for consideration was the question of wharf labour. He had come to tho conclusion that such work must be done by a regular, permanent staff. (Hear, hear.) He hoped that Canterbury, by this meeting, would take the tip to form a strong committee to watch the interests of the province. Supporting the motion, Mr Isitt said that he had spoken often on the Q}]® 8 " tion, and had little new to add. The Canterbury members of Parliament wero in nn way responsible for the piesent position. He did not altogether follow Mr Kaye's remarks as to lack of union among the Canterbury _ members, who had worked together in the interests of tho province. He was inclined to put the boot on the other foot and blame the business men ot the community for not using the services of the local M.P's more than had been the case hitherto. Continuing, Mr Isitt said that his own conviction was that nothing could be done with the Minister of Railways and the General Manager, but. having the support of the Efficiency Board, thev might induce Cabinet to do something. He maintained that the business men of the citv had not been treated with due respect by the Minister of Railways. No reason had been given for the refusa of the Minister. When they informed Mr Herries the concession asked tor was vital to the interests of Lyttelton, thev were told that if granted to one place it would have to be granted to other places. That was the rep y of a pettifogging politician and not that of a statesman. (Applause.) They must represent the , se £°" s ; r.ess of the position to Sir Joseph Ward on Wednesday, and later perliaps_ send a deputation to Wellington to interview the Prime Minister. Mr J- Reynolds said that the freight increase for goods Svdney to Lyttelton. owinc to the transhipment at another port, was 50 per cent. _ Another speaker declared that sniT>» brintring coal to Lyttelton < had to take awav part of the coal ajrain because it could not be discharged the same evening. In view of the present scarcity of coal the fact was serious.

The motion was agreed to unanimously.

COST OF LTTTNG INCREASED. The Mayor of Christchurch moved:— "As the increased outlay on account of the delays in unloading and transmitting the cargoes has already resulted in a material increase in the cost .of living to the community of Christchurch, as a further increase appears inevitable, as the business or Christchurch is so entirely dependent on the shipping facilities, and as the inadequate railway service is hindering the efficiency of the Department, the Minister of Railways be urged to accede to our reasonable demands."

He said that few remarks were necessary from him. Every possible argument had been used on the previous occasions, and the response the various deputations had met was rigrhtly described as shuffling. It was piffle to say that if the Christehurch-Port evening train were put on, other ports must be given similar concessions. Hie conditions prevailing were quite different here. He agreed that it would be better to start a strong agitation in favour of a canal, so that when the Minister saw what was threatening he would be brought to reason. Dr Thacker: Why not remove tho Minister?

Continuing, the Mayor said that there could lie no doubt that the cost of living had been increased throng]] the conditions at the port. Ho thought credit should ho given to the wharf labourers for the attitude they had adopted. He was utterly disgusted with tho foolish, childish " reasons " given for not putting .on the train they asked for. Mr Howard seconded the motion and said that the problem was difficult. He would T'ke to say some hard thing's of somebody, but in view of ednesday's deputation he would not. If there were only a shortage of trucks, trains nr men they could get over it. The Mayor, for instance, had offered to go on the footplate, if required. (Applause.) But they were up against the flevnifui element, against two 01* three individuals who were a* Kaisers on the railwav. Tf Christ-church got the train noii- the dignity of these individuals w.ou'd be hurt.

ALL CANTERBURY AFFECTED. Mr Witty said that not only Christchurch but all Canterbury was suffering through the lack of adequate train service. Canterbury people did not asKist their members of Parliament as the people of Auckland did theirs. Large sums of money were being paid to people to run the railways at a loss.

Dr Thacker: They are not running them at all. (Laughter.)

Continuing, Mr Witty said that he had been informed that the Hnddart Parker boats were not to call a.t Lyttelton until further notice owing to the uncertainty of cargo discharges, lie had been told that engine-drivers and firemen were chopping wood at Christchurch station and twenty-three officials had seen the train off to Lyttelton. (Laughter.) Why did not the Premier and the Minister of Railways visit Canterbury? Why should deputations have to go to Wellington P It was the apathy .of the people that was greatly to blame for the present position of Canterbury. Sir Joseph Ward would prove sympathetic, but he was not the Minister of Railways. They must get Mr Herries here. That evening's meeting would do good, and similar meetings should be held in other parts of the, province. Mr S. A. Staples supported the motion and said that cutting down the port train service was like cutting the head off a turtle and expecting the body to live. The Government did not seem to want the railways to pay. What had Canterbury d.one to offend the powers that beP The motion was agreed to unanimously.

EDUCATION HANDICAPS. Mr George Scott moved: — " That these resolutions be submitted to Sir Joseph Ward, Minister of Finance and Cabinet representative of the Efficiency Board, by deputation at the Chamber of Commerce next Wednesday, the deputation to consist of all present at this meeting, members of Parliament and other citizens, and the spokesmen to be the movers and seconders of the resolutions."

He spoke of the bad effects on the technical education of twenty-six Lytteltou students who were now deprived of the opportunity of attending the Christchurcli Technical College, and added that as an employer of labour ho knew local industries were be/ing

crippled. Manufacturers could not get goods shipped away. Mr J. B. Struthers seconded the motion and spoke of the shipping and other losses by the present position. Ho said that the loss attributable to the shipping disorganisation to September 29 last was:— £/ Interest loss on value of cargo delayed . . • • -402 Loss of value of ships' use, at cha.rter value . • • 5400 Double handling of cargo over carrying and return of cargo 1400 Short-shipped and then shipped ' through transhipping sources, cost • • 299 Cargo sent down and never shipped, freight lo*s . • • 800 Total . • • £8351 Mr H. G. Ell. M.P., supported tho motion, and recalled the circumstances and conditions of the General Manager's appointment. He added that Mr Herries would find it difficult to explain his attitude, as it had been admitted that £5 would cover the cost of the asked for train, and two men only would be required to work it. This motion was agreed to unanimously. Dr Thacker appealed for a large attendance of the public on Wednesday morning. A vote of thanks to the chairman concluded the proceedings.