The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE. WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 1920. SHORTAGE OF RAILWAY TRUCKS.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XII, Issue 3612, 27 October 1920, Page 4

The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 1920. SHORTAGE OF RAILWAY TRUCKS.

With which is incorporated "The Taihape Post and Waimarino News"

Sometime ago there was a great railway enquiry, and amongst other postulates sought be proved was that there was no shortage of IoU.-ng stock, and no doubt tho "Rail-way Department thought thay prove-3 ,'t right up to the hilt. We wisu. th.»y nod, for there would then have beer, no raus-e for us to draw the Department s attention to what amounts tj e scandal in truck shortage. For un.i.rhs past shortage of trucks in the northern [ part of the Taihape territory, psrticularly on ttfe Kaefcilli'line and en the Ohakune ".ection of the Main I Trunk line, has been so severe as to | cause persistently annoying inconvenience and considerable monetary loss. Is it to be assumed that the Railway Department is hopelossly s-kort of trucks, or that the mawgement of distribution is at fault? V* have satisfied ourselves that, th:s officers working on the Raevihi lino and the Ohakune section are doing ah tbat it is humanly possible for thorn to do, but. when a-settler orders fifr/ trucks to carry away his products and the railway-workers can only g' J+ . 15 "e from the Department, it is barking tip the wrong tree to abuse the unfortunate | stationmaster; then, we must look j higher up for the source of trouble. ' We are notj concerned about who is 1 to blame, but we are very much concerned about the shortage of trucks, and so long as the trucks come along in ample numbers to carry away the produce to marketing centres, so that the men who have been delving on the land for months can >iash what they have to sell, we shall appreciate the fact that the railways are filling the purpose for which the people spent millions -of imoney in constructing them. . As we have said, the .shortage is. a very real one, and if similar conditions obtain elsewhere thare is going to be widespread discontent amongst farmers, -wood-cutters and sawmiUers. If the Department has an insufficiency of trucks in the slack season, what is going to happen during the busy season upon which we are now entering? Farmers have their lambs to get away; wood-cutters have several thousands of cords' of firewood ready for , railing, and sawmiUers are becoming "snowed" out with their own products. What is going to happen to the farmer if he cannot rail his stock while at their best? We need not ask what inconvenience, loss of time and loss of, money wood-cutlers are being subjected to through being unable to get paid for their work, because tho roilway will not. or cannot, take his wood to the purchaser of it. 'Timber, perhaps, will not spoil by delay as much as stock, but the fact that the truck shortage is a perpetual nightmare to sawmiUers indicates that th? Department is causing them cons'derable loss. It will be better Understood what that inconvenience and loss is that sawmiUers are suffering through Departmental remissness, when we state that wc know of one case in which one firm ordered eighty trucks, and the Railway Department sent him seven trucks; only seven trucks to take away .sufficient produce to fill eighty trucks. Tins occurred in the last week ot September, and it is one of many. The Department has cither got trucks or it has not, if it has them why arc they withheld to such a stupid extent? If there is such a shortage as the case mentioned indicates, then it is obvious that someone has culpably neglected his suI preme duty, and whoever he may be jhe should be' called to account. We i are drawing attention now because we j fully realise what fearful loss is going to fall upon our back-country workers if the railway truck shortage is as | now indicated by such cases as wo j have mentioned.. Men who have loss ! of the kind, forced upon them by a public department, should have redress from the public purse. If, during the bjisy season now at hand, seven trucks have to do the work of eighty it will readily be conceived what hardship is involved. In Uio. best interests of the whole Dominion it is sincerely hoped that, better organisation, will ensure an immensely improved distribution of trucks. Whatever the Railway Deportment can achieve in this connection will be very highly appreciated by farmers, wood-cutters and sawmiUers in the Taihape hinterland, if not. by the people in c ; tios who are suffering from a firewood and building timber shortage. A new demand for railway trucks will shortly arise from wool-growers, and from cattle farmers, and it is owing to the existence of an overwhelmingly greater demand for trucks in the near future, that wo believe there was any excusable shortage during the last three months, 'f the neonle so disa c !- trn'iisiv affected anneal <o Mr R M <Ko O-rnmissioner, it is prob able their troubles will very soon van ish