THE RESTRICTIONS

Taihape Daily Times, 3 July 1919, Page 4

THE RESTRICTIONS

Perhaps, the most notable disclosure‘ of the Railway Managerial tactics, is pourtrayed in the ofiicial circular an-l nouncing the restrictions. The last‘ words of that announcement ’were: l é‘Beer, wine, and spirits will not be‘ carried!’ No sooner had newspaper offices got this printed through their‘ first issue, circulating the stateniont throughout the Whole country, than they Were advised that “Beer, wine, and spirits were essentials and would be carried on the railways as usual.‘ No man or woman will fail to realise‘ that the breakdown in the system‘ }is going to injure every industry, limit ‘the profits of most businessmen, and‘ ‘ cause deprivation domes't.icall-y. But no {- better ‘business capacity is disclosed by the Department in its restricted‘ trafiic than in its general policy. So , far as the industries of this district‘ are concerned, We find that 1331301‘ 5-5 not an announced cssentiual. and as this journal has only another three‘ weeks supply on hand, it may have to cease publication; the only 00115033“ tion our staff will have is that they will not be without their beer or whisky. The same Will apply 130 S:lWmill employees, for it is not likely that sawmillers can go on paying huge‘ costs of production including, royal-, ties, just to stack up timber around] ‘the mills, which is an added expel‘-SO-‘ |When the mill-owners have run to the end of their financial tether,‘ some hundreds of mill-hands will be out of employment. There will be 3. shortage of timber as Well as of cool. i railway and postal facilities. Coll'mry .newspapers will be able t‘o get -b.enzi:lc to drive their machinery—~‘countr_v ncWspaper—own_el's do not have motor ‘cars——if they cannot get paper’ to piint on_ s We cannot help apprelfiating the opportunity the Minister of Railways is giving to men" thrown out of employment by theiycollapse of the railway’ system to have a right down glorious time; the railways while throwing them out of work are going to take every precaution against them being without plenty of drink it they can afford to buy it, and in this connection we suggest the men niiglit ‘successfully apply to the Minister for ‘compensation for loss of employment ‘caused by the 'State’s shortcoruings. There is no shortage of money, it is ‘only a shortage of coal, or of shippi-1g i to carry the coal in suflicient -:;u:lntE—ties to keep railway trains running. l While railways“'are suffering a r-:-cov-‘cry there should be a‘ great influx cf . sawmill hands, and others into Tai- ' hape from the'_'dry King Country, and, T if the men liave any mon-2y,’ business * should hum. But these" I‘3Lll\V:lY "rc- ‘ strictions are of too serious :1 nature » to be made a cause for lcvity._ -A sud- ;' den rise in all kinds of timber in ‘ town timbcr—yal‘ds may be expected: . builders will rush r.up‘pii.c-5 to enable : them to continua constructions in hand, and the demand, without visible ? means of replenishing stocks, is : Sure to send prices up, as well as to stop further coir-ztnzetion I and the-reliy throw men out of Work. Our tlll1l)0a' industry is going to suffer eons‘dnrably; millowners may not feel the railway breakdown so much as their elllDloYe€s. It is a notable and unclenia.ble fact that any naltional disaster, however caused, falls with greatest force on the masses of the people. For at least six weeks the "timber and paper supply is to be ‘entirely cut off, industries affected may in that time get" used to doing without them, but we suggest that ‘they will be something like the costermonger’s donkey that was trained to live without food——the_V will die. With utmost concern we await eventualifios. On some prcte.\:t. New Zeuland coal can be sent to Australia while there is extreme domestic deprivation amongst the masses in New Zealand and while the most essential public services have broken down purely for the need of coal. At least, that is how we view the situation for the present.