RAILWAY LOADING METHODS

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 311, 25 September 1920, Page 7

RAILWAY LOADING METHODS

Sir—lt may help some people to understand how the cost of living increases if we bring before ycu the following illustration:—We refer to the method the Railway • Department uses in handling heavy goods to ■ be railed to tlis country centres from Wellington. The crano in use at Lamhton is operated not by slcam or electricity, but, forsootli, • by s the strong arms of two men. It can only operate, within a radius of, about twenty feet, and tho empty or partlyJoaded trucks have to be moved monotonously backwards and forwards to the crane until their load i.s complete. The manner of moving the trucks is novel and interesting iu this twentieth century. It H done by a man using an iron bar! The men do their very best. They are obliging and hard-working band, but the conditions' tliey fire asked to work under must create and should create labour troubles. It is a wonder to many that the railway can get any men to woric there at all. The result of this slow and laborious system is apparent in tho long line of waiting lcaries at the station yard. To-day we had tlio pleasure ot 1 joining tli© waiting band for tuo liouis. Of course, it is quite fashionable, but annoying when work is pressing. Ono man loaded his dray last night, and was there, at 8 o'clock this morning and sue- * ccodcd in boing. relieved of liis load at 11.30 aim. He came back with another in the Afternoon, and ti>niglit unjokcu. leaving, the load-still on-net result of one day, one load. This' all means money out of someone's pocket: men,' horses, and-goods cannot bo kept waiting hour after hour without someone being the loser, it all goes on to the cost of the goods, and the -'compare S thc railway equipment with the' Harbour Board equipment m the sheds and on the wharves, and one does not wonder that men prefer to work'on ■ the -wharves. Is the Railway Department going to wait until their employees hold stop-work meetings? Surely it is possible for tho Capital City to superannuate this hard-worked manual ciane and get. -an equipment commensurate with the demands of modern business life. Their men and clients deserve better at their hands. ...Might.l suggest, Sir, that, when you lack copy, you ssnd down one of your writers to report on this question—l am, etG " ; A SUFFERER. September 22, 1920.'