RAILWAY TRAFFIC.

Taranaki Daily News, 26 October 1922, Page 4

RAILWAY TRAFFIC.

INCREASE AT NEW PLYMOUTH. BETTER FACILITIES WANTED. The large increase in the railway traffic at New Plymouth during the past five or six years was commented on by Mr. J. J. O’Shea, retiring stationmaster, at a farewell gathering tendered him last night on the eve of his departure for Palmerston North. “Big work has been done during the last six years,” said Mr. O’Shea in reference first of all to the time when he was connected with the goods department. While the shipping traffic hod increased enormously, there had been a very poor supply of men owing to the war. At times those in the goods department,had worked from 7 a.m till 10 p.m. for two and three weeks at a stretch in order to cope with the traffic, and sometimes there had been hundreds of wagons waiting in the yard. “The coming of the Home liners means a big thing for New Plymouth,” proceeded Mr. O’Shea. Few people realised the extra amount of work this meant for the railway department, but he instanced one occasion on which 10,000 tons of cargo had been loaded in a fortnight, so it could perhaps be realised what such work entailed. Specials were running day and night during that period in order to get rid of the goods. It was only those few intimately connected with the working of the goods department who had any idea of the amount of work put through during the past four of five years especially. “The facilities at New Plymouth are undoubtedly not what they should be,” said the speaker. He hoped that very shortly there would be a double line all the Way to the Breakwater. If the traffic increased during the next five years at the rate it had done during the past five years such a provision would be absolutely Larger yards, too, were needed at New Plymouth. It said a lot for the shunting staff and others responsible that they had managed to cope with the increased traffic with the present facilities. “Complaints have been made about the delhy in forwarding goods from New Plymouth,” said Mr. O’Shea in concluding. “I can say, however, that there is just as good despatch here as at any port in New Zealand.”