THE RAILWAY SERVICES

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 105, 28 January 1920, Page 8

THE RAILWAY SERVICES

WHAT THE MINISTER THINKS

A suggestion lias been made in Christchurch that the Government should begin to economise in coal' by cutting down the railway services, in order that more coal may, be released for private industries. It was alleged that tho Government is storing up huge- reserves of coal, to the detriment of other people in dire need of fuel for industrial and domestic purposes. These suggestions were submitted to tho Minister of Railways (Mr. Massey) yesterday. Mr. Massey said that the railways must have a sufficient supply of coal in hand to mako secure the running of the 6ervices without interruption. The stocks, when mcro figures were- given, might ecem to bo big, but when it was remembered that for the month from December 20 to January 20, tho consumption of coal by tho railways was at the rate of 10,000 tons nor week, it should bo clear that tho railways were not safo if big stocks were not held. \ During these weeks there had not culy been an immense holiday traffic, but these had been the busiest weeks of the year in ordinary freight traffic —tho carriage of tho produce of the country to tho ports. He considered that the railways wero the most important industry in tho country, and the need of tho railwnys for coal was second only to that of the freezing works, which must have coal to keep the freezing machinery going. If the railwnys stopped running every industry'in the country would suffer immediately. Mr. Massey added that he did not consider that tho holiday traffic 'should be stopped it it were possible to keep it going. The people had been denied the privilego of travel at tho holiday season for five years, and ho thought that they were entitled to the opportunity .of cheaper travel this year if it could be dona at all.