EFFECTS OF THE STRIKE.

Putaruru Press, Volume II, Issue 29, 1 May 1924, Page 2

EFFECTS OF THE STRIKE.

BULK TRAFFIC STOPPED. Timber and Coal. Mill Hands Idle. Effects of the railway strike soon became more apparent in the Putaruru district. In the case of light and medium-weight traffic and also passenger traffic there has been no dislocation, motors successfully complying with practically all the requirements, but it was the carriage of bulk goods, such as timber, coal, etc., that was at a standstill. MILLS CLOSING DOWN.

Timber mills were among the first to suffer, owing to there being no trains to take their outputs away and give their yards clearance to allow further work to continue. By the end of last week the Taupo Totara Timber Company’s mill at Putaruru had no work for the men usually employed in loading the timber on to the Government trucks, and it Was foreseen that if the strike continued it would not be a matter of many days before most, if not all, of the hands there would be idle. This in turn would affect the Mokai employees. The two mills at Te Whetu and the Selwyn Timber Company’s at Mangatapu are working this week but continuance of the strike might have affected them too. At the Waotu mill practically the whole staff is working at top speed, it being the aim to get as much timber out to Putaruru as possible before the wet weather sets in and the company has to cease carting for the winter. The outlet for this mill being by road to Putaruru, this would be the case whether there was a strike or not. ARAPUNI WORKS RETARDED. The preliminary works in connection with the Arapuni scheme were also retarded as a result of the strike, but thhis was due to many .of the workmen who went to Auckland, etc., for Easter not having returned. A number are back at work but the metalling plant, etc.,, lies idle awaiting the return of the drivers. Supplies on hand would allow most of the work to continue for some w^eks. COAL SUPPLIES. Tliere has as yet been no shortage of household coal in Putaruru, as local stocks were fairly large when the strike eventuated, and in addition one or two trucks of coal arrived for tiers. Supplies are being rationed and should last well into May, after which there are fairly good stocks of firewood available at the mills and plantations. The Tokoroa and Puketurua dairy factories, however, did not quite know how they were to replenish supplies when their present stocks were exhausted, coal being the usual fuel used at the factories. Already the Tokoroa company has secured firewood to help eke out its present supplies of coal.

The fact that in any case the T.T.T. locomotives bum mostly wood makes the coal position in regard to maintaining the train service from Putaruru to Mokai of no great account. LITTLE DETRIMENT TO FARMERS.

Apart from the question of coal supplies to tfie dairy factories, the stiike is causing but little inconvenience to the farming community, who agree that it could not have happened at a better time of the year as far as they are concerned. The cream is going to the factories daily by motor lorry instead of train, and there are at present no very urgent inward requirements. In normal circumstances the inward railing of manure for topdressing would be now commencing, but as the season is yet early for this the delay is not causing much concern. Meanwhile the farmers are

mostly engaged in those many winter jobs on a farm which are usually done immediately after the topdressing. OBTAINING GOODS. At the beginning of the strike the stocks held by the local stores were at fairly low ebb, it being the usual custom to replenish mostly between the 20th and the end of the month. However, this difficulty was soon overcome, goods being shipped from Auckland to Paeroa and brought from there to Putaruru by motor lorry. For this work and the delivery of cream to the factory the district was fortunate in having a local businessman who had just recently secured one heavy and one light motor truck, both new. The road to Paeroa is stated to be in good order. From Putaruru right through to Taupo the T.T.T. railway service forms as usual the means of distribution for both goods and mail, while usual services by motor and horsedrawn vehicles were maintained to the outcenlrcs such as Waotu, Te Whetu, Arapuni, etc. From Mangatapu, pack horses were being . used to obtain daily mail and goods from Putaruru. Trunk letter mails were run daily between Hamilton and Rotorua, via the Mamaku hill, cars leaving each of these towns every morning and meeting halfway at Tirau, where mails and passengers were transferred and lunch obtained, the cars returning in the afternoon to their town of departure. From Putaruru a service to Tirau gave connection with this service, giving an outward mail from Putaruru at 11 a.m. and an inward . mail about noon. Letter mails only were being carried. Also newspapers were received rugularly and in good time, in fact even the films duly arrived for Saturday night’s cinematograph entertainment. AT THE RAILWAY YARDS. The railway station yards were quiet and devoid of incident since the beginning of the strike. On the length of line between Tirau and Ngatira, which comes under the control of the Putaruru station, about 20 i men were on strike, comprising one guard, two tablet porters, two gangers and the remainder porters and surfacemen. The first division men number four, namely, the stationmaster and three clerks, and these have been at work each day. Goods at the station, which of course arrived before the strike, have been available through them to the consignees. The locomotive staff of three has also been •at work, giving their engine a thorough overhaul and clean and having steam up on it each day in case it should be required. On Saturday the stationmaster received instructions to issue an appeal for men to work as guards on skeleton service trains, but it is understood none was forthcoming. The facts of the locomotive being prepared for duty each day and of the signal lights burning for about a week after the strike were considered by many as unwittingly humorous touches. The railway relaying gang, numbering about .10 men, which was engaged on the Putaruru length of the railway, was among the strikers. LATEST NEWS. Later news regarding the position at the mills showed that both at Te Whetu were closed, while at Ongaroto it was doubtful whether work would have been continued after this week. At Mangatapu, however, it was intended to work right through the strike period.