RAILAGE OF WOOL

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 85, Issue 297, 17 December 1941, Page 4

RAILAGE OF WOOL

SUSPENSION MAY BE O’lY TEMPORARY W AGONS W ANTED ELSEWHERE Because rolling stock is required for other purposes the transport of wool to stores by rail has been held up in the meantime. This announcement vvas made last night, hut is believed to be only a temporary meas- : ure. I Stations have been advised that ■ wool must not be accepted till further notice, but the restriction does nut I apply to wool disposed of at an appraisal and railed to a port of shipment. The purpose for which the wagons are required has not been staled, but the decision of miners in the Waikato ! coalfields to work extra days during ; the coming three weeks may be a (ontributing factor. Many wagons are required to cop? with the output from the Wa.\ato mines, in addition to which December is usually on? of the busiest months of the year for the Railways Department. So far as the Wanganui district is concerned, the decision not to transport wool by rail in the meantime is not expected to cause any serious inconvenience. The second appraisal of the current season began in city stores on Monday afternoon and will conclude to-day. No further appraisal will be held till toward the end of January, and it is not expected that the wool traffic for this sal? will begin for another two or three weeks. According to a decision announced recently by the No. 2 Transport Licensing Authority, Mr. J. P. O. Skoglund. Wellington, all woo] sent tn Wanganui from the Waitotara Valley, and from areas north of Waitotara. must b« put on the rail at the nearest railway station to the point at which the wool is loaded by the lorries. This question was raised at an appeal hoard in Wanganui recently, and it has been stated on previous occasions that where rail transport is available wool must not be carted by road. The present urgent need for conserving supplies of petrol is another factor likely to prevent wool being transported by road to any extent.