WAR-TIME TRAINS

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3005, 16 February 1917, Page 6

WAR-TIME TRAINS

IS CURTAILMENT COMING?

RAILWAY APPEALS

The appeals dealt with by the third Wellington Military Service Board yesterday numbered about sixty, and of these about fifty were appeals in behalf of raihvaymen by the .Railway Department. The board consists of Messrs. W. H. S. Moorhouse (chairman), A. O'L. C'onsidine, and M. J. Mack. Mr. J. Bevin (District Traffic Manager) appeared'as the representative of the Railway Department. Mr. Bevin was asked by the board if any of the men on the list could be spared, and lie said that none of them could. He added that since he was last before the board on a similar mission, the Department had carefully analysed its position, and the fact was that the Government must reduce the train services if any more men were to bo spared from the Department. The Department was going into the position to see if the existing services could be cut_ down. The present staff was not sufficient. Many of the men had voluntarily worked overtime. The Department was circularising superannuated men to see if they would take up positions. At present the staff was right down to bedrock.

Mr. Bevin asked the board to grant three months' extension of time in all the cases, and remarked that in that time the Government policy could be arrived at and laid down. Then the Department could say which men, if any, could be spared. The board decided to adjourn the whole of the cases till the first day of May, on condition that the men remain in their present employment, exemption from military service to be granted meantime. The men appealed for were: Relieving stationmasters—G. A; Watt, Devouport; A. T. Hawken, Wellington. Cadets—R. Methven, Wanganui; L. V. Hickey, Hawera; M. Sutherland, Waipukurau; B. T. Stanley, Timaru. Clerks—W. J. Carson, Newtown;, C. N. M'Lean, Onehunga; A. J. M'Pherson, Wellington; W. J. Munro, Taihape; W. J. Kemp, Ashburton, and F. P. Keys, Upper Hutt; J. D. Hickey, Makarewa; W. H. llenuie, Petone; W. J. Thompson, Feilding; It. S. Cochrane, Kelbuni. Storeman—J. Chalmers, Wellington. Porters—W. T. Crabb, Longburn; A. B. Blandford, Petoue; it. Berry, Waitotara; F. L. J3urrell, Eltham; S. Evans, Napier; F. E. King, Timaru; E. T. Peach, Nonnanby; W. Ramskill, Taumarunui; A. Rowsu, New Brighton: J. W. Rudd, Lyttelton; B. W. Scully, Tuapeka; C. J. Whiting, Hastings. Fitters —A. J. H. \omm, Christchurch; C. R. Smith, Christchurch; T. B. Coleman, Christchurch. Turner—M. E. Withers, Opawa. Shunter—Thomas Collins, Waimangaroa Junction. Firemen—R. S. Cole, Kingston; C. W. Cheesman, Dargavillo'; W. C. Ardern, New Plymouth; W. F. Lenz, Cross Creek; F. It. M'Sherry, Timaru; W. Turkington, Cross Creek. Platelayer—H. Kerwiu, Featherston. Surfacemen—M. Lynch, Waitotara; T. Brosnau, Washdyke; J. Curlayno, Hawera. Occupation not stated on list—A. T. Maylatt, Napier South; R. J. Stone, Christchurch; H. Dick, Taumarunui; W. P. Tarrant, Marten; W. H. Irwin, Christchurch; A. Dormer, Frankton Junction.