The Daily News. FRIDAY, AUGUST 22, 1919. THE RAILWAYS.

Taranaki Daily News, 22 August 1919, Page 4

The Daily News. FRIDAY, AUGUST 22, 1919. THE RAILWAYS.

The, news that the authorities intend to partially restore the railway servines next week will be received with considerable relief and satisfaction. If nothing else, the "cut" lias brought home tc the public, perhaps more than anything else could have done, the important part the railways play in Mio life of the community and how essential it is that the services be maintained. We cannot help thinking that the Railway Department itself has failed to recognise its obligation to strain every effort and make every preparation humanly possible to keep the services going. Had it done so, We are inclined to think it would not have been necessary to make the severe reduction it did and thereby cause such dislocation, inconvenience, and .loss. Tlio Department seems to have come practically to a standstill before thinking of economising its coal supplies and the Government to have given little or no assistance when the shortage became apparent by reducing the supplies months before to less essential industries, There are one or two points in connection with the shortage of coal we would like enlightenment upon. The trading figures published in the Monthly Abstract of Statistics show that in the first six months of this year the quantity of coal imported was 39,528 tons greater than in the corresponding period of last year, while the quantity exported wns 40,684 tons less. This makes a total difference in favor of the local supply of 80,212 tons, or sufficient to cany on the full railway service lot more than sixteen weeks. No figures

have teen issued as to tho output from the Dominion mines during the first six months. The Hon. A. M. Myers certainly gave us the other day particulars of last month's output of the principal mines, also the importations. The local output was 138,240 tons, as against 180,P8 tons in July of lflHi, whilst the importations were 31,710, being DflSB tons in excess of the importations in 191 S. The output of hard coal was 78,231 tons. The quantity actually received by the Railway Department during July from the ]G!),1155 tons mined and imported was only 18,080 tons. Now, we should like to know how it is that the railways have not secured a bigger share than this. The railways surely are more important than many of the industries that are receiving all the coal they require. One would think a determined effort would have been made to ration the available coal stocks with a view to building up the railway reserve. Railways are the very life-blood of a country, and should be given precedence, at any rate over most of the other industries. However, one is thankful that a measure of relief is about to lie given, and if the shipping strike in Australia is settled soon —as seems likely—there is reason to anticipate the restoration of the full services at an early date. Of course there is the possibility of a coal strike in New Zealand, but we are inclined to think the miners' lenders will think twice before they exercise the strike weapon to enforce claims that clearly are unreasonable and must, if, granted, inflict great hardship and loss upon the rest of the community.