WESTPORT COAL

Hokitika Guardian, 4 December 1924, Page 3

WESTPORT COAL

I SK (IN RAILWAYS. WKSTPORT. Di'i'riuhi't* C. Mr S. lirilhy, oil behalf of the Roller IVoprcss l.eapiti' writes in reply to statement - published by Mr W. .M'Ai'h'V. nioierai seeretnry ol the New Zealaml l.orotmo ive lli'ivr.-' I'liiiui. as filllnu s : '' Cinieei'iiiup the use ol Westport coal 00 New Zealaml railways in his Mr M'Arlev declares that the I'vidrori of work done , ill t lie Westport srltillll with Die Wl! type ol io ■'>- U"■' 'res is liiislcndiuil. lie even ;;nes no to stale Dial in. 1 >"i,nmtive in N,".v Zealaml i-. -< hi"h;lei! to haul a train ui Si,': lons on a level track, mill h les.the Wit elas.-. I'art her. lie says it should he pointed not that these trains em run iloMii-hill. and refillin' luake power, not steam power, lienee linm reeiicd eiud is sal islai tnrv. '■ Notv," says Mr lirlihy. let I'"’ ,'ir von I In* iii'tiM'l lads, and jm!“e I'm- votirsetl v. hose are the inisli'adin;: ■■l atinenl s. Tin- full load lor a WI! eiieiue is si.’ity-hve '.v.ioeons. pin ''lake van. The avera"e wcioiit "I these emd maeons is 1 tons 7cm t. The maximum load of coal in each is S tons Mewl,. The weight of vans runs from eleven to twelve tons. I nm now eoiii" to "ive Mr M 'Alley the heiielit of the doubt, tnkiuif ns my weights I tons newt anil K tolls dewt respectively for tare and coal per loaded waegon and ten tons for brake van. Von will see, therefore, that. Die lull load drawn is over, and not under Ss() tons, the actual load boilin' Slid!, tons. I can claim tn he imncToits. as on the section, where there is a shorta.ne of rollinp: stock, the ti neks are well Itllcil. Kvidentlv Mi M’Arlev lias seen |ihoti)"i'aphs of the Di'tinistoii incline at work, and has formed an erroneous impression ol the location of the lower terminus. I van only arrive at this riniclttsion from Ins statenv'iit that it is on a down tirade. Incredible ns it may appear in the lace of Mr -M'Alley’s statement rcjiiirtlin*: his locomotive srlieilnle, these trains are hauled over l’olloek’s Mill, with n o-radieiil. of 1 in W amiiust Die load, then 01. to Waianoan.il hritlfte aoiuust „ gradient of l in rr,,-t, " n curve They are then hauled over a ora.lient of’l in 120 a-ainst the load for a distance of one and a hall miles IVo n 1 Deallman’s Creek before D>e>’ tokc the down tirade to port. Dote 0,-e the facts plainly set out, and t. hoy speak so hijihlv for the skill and ability of the men who handle these et.ou.es of ours, and for Die Westport cad Jlm» thev use in the funiacs. hat slronulv tveontmend Mr M’Alley scan his schedule and recommend <•>» Departinenl to use "Westport ioa ~n the railways, and oncn.raoo its Im-on .- live men to attain to the state of efr.rieni'v shown hv the men on the foot,,lute's of our WIVs. In ronelttsion » ilaiiil that nowhere in New /ea»..i.< \ hijiher enoine elhrieney attained ha „„ this section, and the Mel used Westport unscreened.

SCHOOLS AND FORESTRY. AVOI’.K tx afcki.axd DlSTlsict. AFCKKAND. Dec. 2. Manv schools in the Auckland i j't rit-t are taking up the proposal of tin Forestry Department to establish uuiseries for the raising of seedlings f shelter and timber trees. It is e> - mated that -IS schools interested n this proiect will raise approximate > 100.000 seedlings for distrihutmn to their pupils. j„ order that there may lie some uniformity in instruction to children courses lor instruetors are being bent ~t tic Statt Forestry plantations at Rotorua. The four instructors m agriculture to thy Auckland Board (Messrs 11. V • ' 1 U ' 11 ." l! ' sm I. W MeCaskill. and •!. Dennchy) spent three days of last week at the plantations attending a course of list nut ion. They were much impressed with the magnitude of the operations ~t the Whakarewarewa nurseries, where about ID million young trees are |, duo prepared for planting next sen-

"tlc course dealt particularly with the methods to he adopted in the schools.