THE RAILWAYS.

Franklin Times, Volume 9, Issue 704, 3 February 1922, Page 5

THE RAILWAYS.

(To the Editor). Sir. “Stray Notes,” by Don Quixote, in your issue of the 27th, makes good reading. I trust he will keep up his contributions, which are always of interest. His suggestion, however, that (the railways should he leased to reputable companies, in my opinion, does not go far enough. Why not sell them right out ? Properly managed they should be a paying proposition. The present loss of £4OOO per day will never be stopped by reducing the number of trains run, or by reducing the rate of pay to employees. The way lo make (them pay is to insist on a higher standard of efficiency. Reduce the unmber of men, if it can be done with safety, and pay the men you keep, a wage that will encourage them to put forth their best efforts. Ajt present the service is so rotten -fhat there te apparently no inducement for any man to show zeal or efficiency. In fact I am told that the axism is : “Don’t do too much, you’ll get no thanks for it.” How* can any service prosper when such a tenet is held by the rank and file? Who by the way, are to be penalised because the beads of the Department are making a mess of iL; As the Department admits, a loss of £4OOO a day then is not much use labouring the subject, /but I will mention just one instance Jto show bow the railways can lose (money indirectly as well as directly. ?A settler wants killing space for two trucks of lambs (120).- The freezing works allot him space for Thursday. His next step is to order two trucks to load on Wednesday evening, but no, he can’t have them, his lambs must go by a morning train. If they must go bv an evening train he must send: them on Tuesday. Now consider his position ; he musters his sheep, drafts his lambs out and drives to the township holds them till the following mom»ing. trucks them, and they go down to the works in the heat of the day. Are unloaded and stand about for another night, and are killed some time the next dav. Experts will tell you that lambs will go off one round each in that time, and at least half of them will grade “seconds,” and consequently fetcha lower price all round . Consider that unwarrantable and to him unavoidable loss at a crisis in the affairs of the primary producers of this country, when every shilling counts. I consider, sir, that any man in the resnonsible position of a station master should have power enough to hitch a truck load of fat lambs on to any train without having refer the question to a. higher authority. There are various other matters in “Don QuvxotoV’ contribution which T had intended to refer to, but T fear I have already tres'nassed; too much upon your valuable space. —T am. etc.. blue tra c t.