“HAS GOT US DOWN!”

Waikato Times, Volume 90, Issue 14025, 31 March 1919, Page 2

“HAS GOT US DOWN!”

CONGESTED RAILWAY TRAFFIC. LOCO. MEN AND THEIR DEMANDS. The locomotive branch of the railways is evincing keen interest at Die moment on the question of what is to he the outcome of the deliberations which have been going on with the Minister. By ,iatly in the week it is anticipated that sOme definite information will be available to the branches. The men make no secret of the fact that they are tired of having their demands put off from time to time and are going to bring matters to a head. Even to going the length of a general strike is on the tapis and it gathered from sources actively interested in the deliberations, that measures will be placed under way unless the conference now going on reaches a satisfactory solution. If the turn is the reverse way a ballot will be taken among the branches, of whom the feeling has been previously tested, on the question of immediate action. It is a quite undeniable fact Dial complaints are ronstantly heard of the inability to procure adequate supplies of coal, metal, timber, etc. A member of the service, in dealing witli this point, gave it as his opinion that the traffic had plainly “got tho Department down.” Coal and timber were awaiting transference from various points and even if the Department had the waggons it had not the locomotives to haul the loads, nor sufficient men to staff the trains. The conditions at times in our own area lend colour to the conclusion. It was only as recently as a couple of days ago that at least some of the goods trains operating in and out of 'Frankton wore .running as great a length as two hours behind schedule. At Mercer there was so great a blockage that a special train had to be sent out to lift sufficient waggons to at least temporarily alleviate the position. “Then,” it was added, “you could hardly gauge where they had been taken from.”

It is quite evident Dial the locomotive section of the service, at any rate, is in a state of ferment and events following within the next few days will be watched with profound interest by them and by the public.