THE RAILWAY CUT

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 241, 5 July 1919, Page 8

THE RAILWAY CUT

CURTAILED PASSENGER TRAFFIC URGED

BY MASTERTON BUSINESS MEN

By Telcgraph.-r Special Correspondent. Masterton, July 1.

A special meeting of the Masierton Chamber' of Commerce, presided over by Mr. J. Cnselberg, w<i§ held yesterday af- . ternoonto consider means whereby iho : railway'restrictions could be.eased. The . speakers at the. meeting included Messrs. J. M. Cor'adiuc. 1!. i. King, G. K. Sykes, J. Caselberg, K. "Brown, W. V. Temple, D. M. Graham, and H- Perry. Generally the opinions expressed favoured, the idea, that it was tho business of evervone to help with advice, and not to hinder' the Government in the present crisis. Most of the speakers recognised that the Government was "up agains: it," and were really.short of coal. They agreed that on the eve of an election "no (lo'vernnient would wilfully commit hnra-, kiri." The seriousness of unemployment which is arising, and which will increase under present conditions, was stressed, and it was generally thought that unless something drastic were dona in facilitating the. cartage of goods tho country would soon be faced with starvation, not through want of food, but through want of employment. Mr. Cov&dine suggested that it would ' bi- advisable, to curtail further, or even suspend, passenger traffic so that the power and space thus made availablecould be diverted to the carriage of goods. Mr. R. Brown moved ihat the question or curtailing passenger traffic for the purpose of assisting goods traffic lie referred ,to tho General Manager of Railways, and 'that a deputation'he formed to meet the { manager accordingly. Tho motion was seconded by Mr. W. f. Teniplo and carried unanimously. . The personnel of the deputation appointed was' as follows :-Msssrs. Caselberg, Sykes, Coradinc, the Mayors, of tlastcrtoii, Carterton, Greytown, . Feathcrston, Eketaluma, : and Pahiatua, tho chairman of the Masterton Town Board, and the cliainnen of the various county councils in the Wairarapa district. J'fri H. Perry moved and Mr. Caselberg seconded the following motion, which was carried unanimously.—' Tuat (he attention •of the Government bo drawn" to the fact that th'e bridges on tho Eiriiutaka Road are unsuitable for heavy M.otb'r traffic,' which consequently is iroliibited by"the Featherston County Counoil; and that arrangements he made to h'avo the by-law' relaxed during the prosent railway crisis,' the Featherston County Council to be approached accordingly. '" MFFICULTIEfi AT PALMERSTON NORTH. " ?y Telegraph—Special . Correspondent.'' Palmcrston North, July i. Two trains which arrived in Palmerston North- from' Wellington yesterday were both crowded with passengers when thev arrived, although many had got oft at'Vayside stations. A large number ot stop-over' passengers' had great uiinculty In securing accommodation for the nigln, and after tramping round town in Uio wet without securing lodgings, e, couplo of ladles'returned to.'.Jio railway station and asked' to he'allowed'to remain m the ladies' waiting room tor the night itte goods shed and yards are still blocked with a heterogeneous collection of goov,, timber, etc., which had collected hc-toio the curtailment of the service, and itt will bo necessary to put on several special' trains- before' a ' cleaianca can be made.