RESTRICTED TRAIN SERVICE.

Taranaki Daily News, 1 August 1919, Page 6

RESTRICTED TRAIN SERVICE.

'A DRASTIC POSSIBUEs (Our Special Correspondent,) 1 Wellington, July 29. Officers of the Railway Department are firm in tlieir statement that the restriction of passenger traffic to "essential" journeys is to be made, but they do not make it clear how they are going to make the proposal effective. An intending passenger will be required to state his reasons for the journey to a railway official. His statement cannot be investigated unless the Department is prepared to set up a very large bureau for this purpose. It has not been possible to lfty down precise rules for the guidance of officers, and stationmasters and clerks will scarcely care to attempt a judicial examination of each applicant for a ticket. The Department hopes that the mere announcement of the restrictions and the publicity given to the necessity foi cutting down passenger traffic will keep many people from applying for tickets A really effective restriction will be applied by the reduction of the number of cars attacjied to trains. When all the seats on a train have been sold, other persons considered to be entitled to make the journey may be allotted places in another train on the same daj or a later day. This arrangement will be so inconvenient to the travelling public that it will discourage people from attempting to use the trains unless their business is really important. Commercial people here have an impression that the services will not remain reduced far into next' month. It Is not possible to obtain any official confirmation of this view, though the Minister for Supplies has indicated that the coal situation is slightly improved. Many people, by the way, are suggesting that the Railway Department should use wood instead of coal. This is not feasible. The engines would require special furnaces before they could raise steam at effective pressures with wood, and the equipment of even a few engines would take many months.