RUSSIA

Taihape Daily Times, 3 July 1919, Page 5

RUSSIA

BOLSHEVIK TERRORISM. LONDON, July 1. Refugees from Omsk who have arrived 'a.t Orénbiirg states that red terror is rampant on the East ffont. Bolsheviks nightly shoot a dozen poeple on suspicion, including Women and school girls. Men's prisons are full of people literally dying of starvation. '

RAILWAY DEPARTMENT'S POSITION. V I -. STATEMENT BY GENERAL ‘ ' MANAGER. . l RESTRICTIONS ONLY ALTER— ‘ NATIVE TO STOPPAGE. E -1.1: l WELLINGTON, July 2. E Mr, R. W. Mcvilley, General Man.‘ ager of Railways, was invited by al conference of local bodies and cham-' bers of Commerce ill W'ellingt:m| Province to make a statement in‘ explanation of the measures adopted : by the Department, to economise coal_ 3 Mr. McVilley said what had led to tlle curtailment of” the services wasi the great reduction in the reserve‘ stock of railway coal, which in 1913 was 80,000 tons, but to-day was only‘ 11,000. The total coal in sight be-1 tween now and the middle of Augusti was 9000 tons. When he told them! that under the man-saving timetable of last year, 5000 to 6400 tons a week were -being burned, they could see how long the Department could have continued to run a" full timetable with 11,000 tons of coal. “In 14 days’ time at most,” said Mr. McVl'lley, “we should probably have found ourselves without trains at all, so there was only one thing to do: that was to take our courage in both hands and cut the timetable.” Immediately the Deparetment could see a reasonable ;supply of coal, it Would'be only too glad to remove the restrictions as far as it could‘, but at the prfient moment the bedrock position was that the restricted timetable would lhave to remain in operation. The De‘partment had exhausted every poSsiblc means‘ of obtaining coal, and had been doing that for the last three years_ The coal supply had been one ‘of the most difficult questions the ‘Department had to deal with since .1914. The position being as it was, [the next thing the Department had to ‘do was to consider how it could best serve the whole community under a restricted ’ timetable and the first consideration was feeding. the people in the backblocks. The present time‘table was not broughtinto operation lhuri-iedly_ The Department has had iit pigeon-holed practically since 11917. Restrictions placed on the conveyance of materials was not one the Department was desirous of imposing if it could be shown that relmoval of it would not inflict hard--iship. He should :be very pleased to ldiscuss details with one or two [gentlemen the conference would aplpoint. Mr. McVilley. said he re'a'li.<ed ithe present crisis meant a lot of uniemployment, but there was only a !very meagre supply of coal in stock, ‘and extremely meagre supply in sight_ ‘The appoifftnient of a commercial iagent under the Railway Department |would be considered at a .conlpartively ]early date, _ , I H h g The conference appointed a com‘mittee to confer with p the Railway ‘Department from time to time regardging difliculties arising out of the neiii , regulations. ‘

NAPIER’S ISUGCEESTION. NAPIER, this day. The Chamber of Commerce discussed the train curtailment and resolved to urge the Department to carry full loads of goods not on the present‘ list for carriage. provided the coal consumption is not increased. It also decided to urge business places to open at 8.530 and close at 4.30 in order to help the situation. The Chzunber supported the Wellington Philosophical Society’s resolution re making New Zealand time twelve hours ahead of Greenwich.