TEN SPECIALS CARRY GRAIN AND STOCK TRAFFIC.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18088, 23 February 1927, Page 9

TEN SPECIALS CARRY GRAIN AND STOCK TRAFFIC.

RAILWAYS HAVE BUSY TIME IN HARVEST. Ten special trains were required by the Railway Department yesterday to cope with the grain and stock traffic and another ten specials will be run today. Grain is now being loaded on the Ashburton, Oxford, Methven, Whitecliffs, Southbridge, North. South and Midland lines. Most of it is going into the flour mills, while a small quantity is going to Lyttelton to lie shipped. Yesterday’s rain resulted in a slight slackening off of loading in some districts, but the quantity that has been loaded will require all the additional trains. \ A railway offie.Vil said to-day that, so far there had been no reason to complain of delay in unloading the grain trucks. In response to an appeal sent out a week ago, a large number of grain merchants were working overtime to get the trucks discharged, so that they may be available for use almost immediately. In addition to the grain traffic, the Department has been running three specials daily for the carriage of frozen meat to ships at Lyttelton. The only line which is not as busy as usual just now is the Midland line, where traffic has cased slightly on account of the stoppage at the State mines and the scarcity of orders for New Zealand grown timber.