RAILWAY RESTRICTIONS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17692, 1 August 1919, Page 5

RAILWAY RESTRICTIONS

REDUCING PASSENGER TRAFFIC. OPERATES AS FROM TO-DAY. Ths restrictions in railway travelling will coma into force to-day. Passengers who booked yesterday for to-day's trains have liad to satisfy tho department that tho contemplated journey was for strictly business purposes. To enable full use to be made of carriage 3 on long-distance trains, and at the scmo time to reduce the number of ears to actial requirements, the department has decided that suburban passengers cannot be allowed on these trains. Passengers lor stations on tho Port Chalmers lino will i;ot be allowed to travel on the train leaving Dunedin for 'lirrm.ru daily at 8.15 a.m., nor on tlie train for Palmerston leaving Dunedin on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays at 3.0 p.m. Similarly, passengers from Port Chalmers Upper ana stations to Dunedin will not be permitted to travel by the Palmerston train arriving Dunedin at 10.8 a.m. on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, nor by the train from Timaru arriving at Dunedin at 5.35 pan. daily. Tho same restrictions will apply to and froir stations between Dunedin and Mosgiel—ie., by tho train leaving Dunedin daily for Invercargill at 7.30 a.m„ or the train for Clinton on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at 2.5 p.m. Inward passengers may not travel by the morning train from Clinton ,arriving at Dunedin at 11.20 a.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, nor by the daily train from InvercargiU arriving D'unedin at 5.5 p.m. The Otago Central train will not be available for passengers travelling between stations in the suburbs.

Passengers in these restricted areas must travel by the suburban services.

The department fullv recognises the inconvenience caused by the curtailment of passengers travelling', but is endeavouring to provide facilities for those who must travel for essential purposes. During the present curtailment of trains a number of the railway staff have been granted holiday leave, but while the restriction of passenger traffic is in force the customary passes are not being issued. Mr R. P. M'Cracken has been entrusted with the issuing of permits, and he had a particularly busy day. Altogether some 300 permits were issued yesterday for use today, 80 of these being for the Otago Central train. This means that all the accommodation on this train has been booked up. In fact, after all the seating accommodation had been booked, a lady with six children made application to be conveyed by the train, and arrangements have very courteously been made for the accommodation of the party in the guard's van. All gates and doors leading on the nlatform will be locked as from to-day, 'and only those possessing the pemj't issued by Mr M'Cracken will be admitted. On the through trains acoommodation will be limited to four carriages, as compared with the six or seven which have hitherto been ■provided. Under no circumstances will this number be increased.

DESIRE TO MEET SOLDIER SONS. PERMITS REFUSED. (Pm Unrran Pvmb Assocxatio*.! AUCKLAND, July 31. The Herald's Maungaturoto correspondent telegraphs that application was made by a number of residents to-day for permits to travel to Auckland to meet -their sons who went to the front in the Main Body, and who are returning by the Ulimaroa nest week. The applications were refused on the ground that tho proposed journey was not essential.

Much indignation is expressed at this decision, which prevents parents from meeting their sons after a separation of nearly five years.

PASSENGER RESTRICTIONS GAZETTED. (Psb United Press Association.) rnL , „ . WELLINGTON, July 31. rhe following railway by-laws, enabling tho department to restrict passenger travel on trains, arc gazetted, and will come into force on August 4: — No person shall travel or attempt to travel on a railway without having previously obtained a permit in writing so to do from a railway officer. Such permit will bo granted only m respect of a spocified journey, and will be granted only on its being established to the satisfaction of a railway officer that such journey is reasonably necessary, and that it is not merely or principally for pleasure or any other non-essential purpose. No person shall purchase or attempt to purchase a railway ticket for any journev unless and until a permit for that journey nos been duly obtained. Li/very person wlio has obtained a permit for any journey as aforesaid shall carry the permit with him on that journey, and shall show and deliver up the same whenever required so to do by any railway officer for any purpose whatsoever.

This by-law shall not apply to persons miking a journey for which tickets at sub: urban fares, in accordance with regulation 51, part 1, of railway tariff, gazetted on December 17, 1912, are issuable This by-law shall not apply to a person travelling on a railway under the authority of a season ticket or a free pass, or in pursuance of a contract entered 'into beforo the coming into operation of this by-law entitling him to travel on that railway

No person shall obtain or attempt to obtain any such penrnit as aforesaid by knowingly making any false representations to any railway officer, and no person shall transfer or attempt to transfer any such permit, and no person shall use or attempt to use any such permit which has been issued to or in the name of any other person, and no person shall use or attempt to use any such permit for anv other journey or on any other day or days than that or those in respect of which the same was issued. Any person who commits a breaoh of the foregoing by-laws shall be liable to a fine not exceeding £10. HOLIDAY PASSES CANCELLED. PROTEST BY RAILWAY EMPLOYEES. (Pkb United Press Association.) PALMERSTON NORTH, July 31. A mass meeting of railway employees will be held here to-morrow night to discuss the question of holiday railway passes. It, is understood that other centres are acting similarly.

The passes will bo cancelled after August 1. although the department insists on the men _ taking their holidays in the usual rotation. A prominent railway man says the staffs regard this action as a challenge issued to the men by the Government. "We are going to issue a challenge to the Government in return," ho said.

POSTAL AND TELEGRAPH