RAILWAY "CUT"
EVIDENCE BEFORE COMMISSION CONDITION OP THE ROLLING STOCK' ! DECLARED TO BE SATISFACTORY
The Jvoyal Commission appointed to inquire whether the curtailment of the train services on July 2, 1919, was due to the rolling-stock having been allowed to fall into a state of disrepair, and not duo to tho shortage of coal for railway purposes, resumed its sittings yesterday. The members of tho Commission are: Messrs. J. P. Maxw<f.'l (chairman), J. Slarehbanks, and W. D. Hunt.
• Mr. M. jfyers is appearing on behalf of the Railway Department. Ernest Edward Gillon, chief mechanical engineer, New Zealand Railways, said he had been in t'lic service for 35 years. The locomotive running, rolling-stock, and workshops wero wider his charge. He concurred in the finding of the Rail- ' .way Commission in 1917, that tho condition of tho rolling-stock was sound. A good many men had been lost temporarily owing to tho war, but. those who remained ■were thoroughly efficient. Ho considered that the rolling-stock was in a safe and good condition now. All the conditions to safeguard its efficiency had been maintained. With the exception of a little hardwood, of which they wero awaiting a shipment, of.l the supplies necessary for construction and repairs had been maintained. Tho workshops were in on efficient state. The Department was far Better off now than previously regarding engine-power and oarriages Since 1916, 112 engines had been added, and.more .wagons had also been built. The position, was for stronger now in' regard to rollingstock than it was in 191G, The increased locomotive power had resulted in a reduction in mifeage. Thero wero two factors contributing to reduced mileage—increased locomotive power and a reduced timetable. Two' coals were used for power purposes—brown coal and bituminous coal.' Brown coal -was'not used for fast services. For fast trains hard coal was essential. Hard coal was obtained fiW.Westport and Newcastle. At limes the Department: had obtained coai from Japan and South Africa. He could not give definite information regarding, Jnpaneso coal. With regard to brown coal, tho lccnlt officers regulated the distribution. Taking the whole stocks, 'he considered that ' tho 'Dereirtment should nlways havo on hand in tffa W'o islands 80,000 tons of hard coal. Repairs Not Held Up. To Mr. Marchbanks: Ho knew of no repairs having been held up owing to a shortage of staff. The Department was at present fifty fitters short throughout New Zealand, and it was faitiy well off for 'blacksmiths. The position regarding drivers was steadily improving as troops returned, and thero was a sufficient number of drivers to run a ful] millcnge.. Thero was » shortage of cleaners, but ho could not give tho exact figures then. As much browh coal was used as tho Department could get. It would bo to the advantage of the Department if it could obtain supplies of Newcastle coal entirely. The question of burning wood in an emergency had been considered, but ho had not deemed the idea, practicable. With normal running the coal consumption per week ' amounted to 5000 tons of hard coal, and 200lt tons brown, coait. A reserve' of SO,ooo' tons ' would give about 12 weeks' supply. In reply to Mr. Hunt, the witness said he considered tho stock to be as good as before the war. In 1917, 18 new engines were put on; in 1918, 14 were built; and in 1919, two engines had been put on. Since 191(5, 10 American engines had'beon put on.. Some of the coal companies had Tefused to tender for. coal supplies.
Mr. Hunt: Could not you refuse, to carry their coal if they refused to. tender for supplies? i ■Witness: We have doiie that in somo cafes. ■ ,
Reexamined'. 'by-.- the. ufiainniain, Mr. Gxilon said tho use 1 of brown coal had had to ba reduced except on light aer? ! because it was dangerous' to crop# ;! in dry weather, owing to sparks. It was ' aOso a poor fuel coal. V
To Mr. Myers: No adverse reports regarding tho condition of the rolllingstock had been received from any Departmental officer. Such reports would come under his notice: Ho had a good knowledge of all tho railway repair shops, and he could say that a .sufficiently large staff had always been maintained to effect ■Tepairs. Brown coal was not always used by itself. General}-, it had to be mixed ■with hard coal.
.Mr. Myers: "Would it, or would it not, be better from the point of view of efficiency if you could use hard coal throughout?
Witness: Certainly. If I could use hard coal throughout it would give greater efficiency anil economy. The chairman here stated that lie did 'not sco the purport of tlio question on tho order df reference as to whether an exeeaive number' of engines, carriages, find wagons had been passed through tlio repair shops since July 2, 191!). bMause •Mr. Gillori had stated that rolling-stock was in good order, and that notwithstanding a' depleted staff he had been able to carry on. Mr. Myers (to the witness): Talcing the period from April 26, 1919, to September 13, 1919, does the return you have prepared show anything in excess of tho average number of engines, carriages, brake-vans/ and wagons-under Tenair for the winter months,?—" Not at all." ...
In normal!: circumstances, do you have Kioto wagons, ears, and en urines under repair during the winter than during the summer?—'"We get the wagons into tho shops in the winter—especially stock wagon"—'because we knrov they will all bo wanted in the summer."
Engine Power Superior. Sidney 'Pcrcival Evans, locomotive engineer at Auckland, said ho had been in the railway service for about thirty-five i years, lie had only . been at Auckland six weeks, but ho found that the work there was* being' carried on very wa.l. For four years and a half he had been. 6tationed at Wellington,, and on July 2, 1919, he considered that the engines and stock goner'ally were better "than they had been in previous years. The engine po, er was superior now than in 191.;, Working Btock had been increased, but during the war not so many wagons had been built as in former years. He had experienced very littlo difficulty in obtaining supplies, for upkeep. There had been some difficulty regarding spring stedl and hardwood, but despite these tho Department had been able to meet tho traffic requirements in the last two years. There had 'uecn nothing to complain about in regard to the railroads. In come branches there had been a shortage of staff, but those who had remained had worked magnificently, and had put extra ciTorts into their work to maintain efficiency. The stall' deserved every credit for tho work it had done during the war period. Now, of course, tho position was improving. Mr. Marchbanks: ITas any olficor under your control complained of the condition of tho rolling stock?—"No, none at «11."
In reply to further questions by Mr. Marehbiiiks, the witness said a certain number of men had left the service within recent years. Mr. Marchbanka: Is thero any reason for their leaving after completing a number of years' service with the Department?—"l don't know. The position as ••regard l ) the younger men is, I believe, that tho openings outside are better paid." To the chairman: It would not be possible to run express services on brown coal. Answering Mr. Hunt, the witness paid that during the war more permanent men had left tho service compared with previous ve.irs, but that -was duo to outside positions hading out better inducements as n result of war conditions. AM tho wen who left were not covered "by the superannuation provisions; a good nuny of them were casuals. Conditions in the Workshops. John Francis M'Carthy, .workshops manager at Newmarket, said he lmd bcon there for t'wcf.ve yean?. He considered that the NewmJirket shops had been improved sinco 1017. Thero was now morn ' room, and the facilities were better. The work was being done quite cfficienKy by the ftntT. which was now getting hack to normal. During the last three months ho had not had au esccssivo number' of
repairs to carry out. Supplies to effect, repairs had been received without liny difficulty. Thero mi no increase in the breakages of old springs. Electric power Had been installed to work the machinery at' the 6hops, To Mr. Marchbanks: There had been no delay in getting' material for the shops. Ho liad plenty of tyres, axko, and boiler tu'bes at Newmarket. In his section thero had toon no curtailment of repair work, and he had received no instructions to hasten repair work. In July last there was not on abnormal number of vehicles under repair at Newmarket. To Mr. Hunt: Ho was not finding any trouble at his shops- through men leaving. Moro men were coming back every day. John Spencer Carr, workshops manager flt Wanganui, said that lie had been at Wanganui far twelve months. _■ He liad found the stock there to be in fairly good order. The staff was efficient, and thn accommodation was sufficient. He had received no complaints about the rollingstock turned out of his shop*. To Mr. Jflarchbiinks: On Julv 2 last the number of ongines, cars, and wagons under repair wins 'not excessive. Ho received stores from Petone. and had no trouble in obtaining anything necessary for repairs. Mr. Myers: Has there been any difference in the conduct of your work since July' Compared with what it. was before?. —"No, it is just about the sauio as it was before—normal." Brakes in Good Order. James F. Macklcy, workshops foreman at Napier, but formerly brake inspector for tlic North la'and, said that when ho assumed, his present duties four months ago the brakes on the rolling-stock were as .jood as they were two years ago. Ho did not think any moro work. required to be done to the brakes now than prior to July 2, 1919. The Westinghouso brakes were in just, as good a'condition ae they were in ISI7. Charles Thomas Bargh, workshops mav ager at Petone for the past six years, said he considered the rolling stock was quite as good now as in 1917. Everything necessary to keep theetook Tip to datehad been obtainable. Tho staff was efficient, and the old "hands" who went to tho ivm were returning. In some branches they wera pretty well all back. Most of tho Main Trunk engines, and a good many of tho engines on tho line, wero repaired at Petone. Ho considered that the stock was in as good order as it was two years ago. The work had gone on quite normally. He knew of no instruction to pass nsmany engines through the shops as possible after July 2 -ost.
To Mr. Marchbanks: -All classes of men had been leaving the shops up. till _ recently. Some of them had gone into business on their own account, and they were not all permanent employees. He knew of no inspector having reported adversely on the condition of the rollingstock. To Mr. Hunt: The number of employees at Petone was less now than in pro-war times, bscansD a big 'buildin.<r programme was in progress then. Not so much buildin? was being done nolv. Moro fitters a.nd carpenters were required at the shops, bnt. he thought lie -would be aW'» to get all the' men required. To Mr. Marebbaiiks: If. the same train mileage (lis run in 1917 were resumed, Je thought he would require an increasixl staff to deal with repairs. Mr. Hunt: If you were told that 9,000.000 miles a. year were to be restored would'you seo "rocks ahead" os far as staff was concerned '—"Well, I would not;get all the men right, away. It wouJd tako time."
Francis Taylor Murison, locomotive engineer at Potone, and recently stationed at Newmarket, gave evidence on tho lines of the previous witnesses ns to the condition of the Tollinj? stock and tha efficiency of the staff. To Mr. Marchbanks: Ag much brown con! .1-3 could be obtained was used. More loen wc-ro lost out of the Bhopa than out of tho running department. There was no shortage of tyres or aries. There was a shortages of fitters, but they were not all. permanent hands. In reply to.Mr..Myers, the witness Bttid that tho efficiency in regard to repair 'Voi'k at Newmarket had continued to improve. ' n Position Regarding Maintenanco.
'George Arthur'Pearson, assistant chief "Mechanical engineer, who ..said ho had ;!ifen in the railway servico for 32 years, -'abed thiat- he agreed with the finding ; oi'.theliailway Commission in 1917 that the condition of the rolling-stock was good. There had been no trouble in regard to ruaintenajice of stocks. "With the present engine-power a greater mileage could lio run than in 1916. More carriages had been put on, and the cars were in excellent condition. In 1918, two million miles less were run than in 1917, and that woui'.d tend to reduce tho num-. her of engines, cars, and wagons to bo repaired. Blown coal was not suitable for fast services. West Coast ond Newcastle coal were absolutely necessary if fast services were to be maintained,. The tendency was to reduce the consumption of brown coal. To Mr. Marchbanks: Motc men had been lo3t from Petona than from the other shops. Since 1917 ho had heard of no officer having'reported adversely on the condition of the rolling-stock. '.Replying to Mr. Myers, the witness saul that when iii Auckland recently lie fimnd the'condition of the engines and other rolling-stock to its remarkably good. The Department continued its building programme until 1917, when it was suspended. Should it be decided to proceed with a fresh building programme the Department would be in a position to commence operations. To Mr. Marchbanks: The position regarding engines was normal in the Wellington district. Edward James Guinness, chief clerk in the stores branch of the' Railway Department, said that there were ample
supplies of springs on hand. He detailed the various ordm that' had been given for drawbar and bearing springs, tyres, and axles. He was absolutely satisfied that sufficient sl'otps wore coming forward and were on hand to meet all requirements. At no time in the past two years had there, been any shortage, and the branch had been congratulating itself on the position in which it found itself. To Mr. Marchbanks: Stocks for railway purposes had received excellent dispatch from the Old Country during tho war. . „ . ~ In arswftr to Mr. Hunt, tho witless added that if a new programme of buildhi" were ordered he would be ill tho position of being able to meet neai'.y all demands. Mr. Myers intimated that it was not proposed'to caßl any further witnesses at that Btage. ... The chairman said the Commission thought it should visit the South Island for the purpose of fwing the workshops at Addington, and obtaining information regarding the condition of tbo rollingstock in the South Island. Some locat witnesses might also wish to l>e heard, and the Commissioners did not want it to be said that the Commission never went near the South Tfiland. So far as the eoal ouc?tion was concerned, it was hoped to deal with that matter in WeTliWon. The hearing of further evidence was then adjourned until 2 p.m. to-morrow. The Commission will pay a visit to Petone Workshops to-day.
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Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 309, 25 September 1919, Page 3
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2,545RAILWAY "CUT" Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 309, 25 September 1919, Page 3
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