ROAD OR RAIL?

Wairarapa Times-Age, 19 April 1940, Page 6

ROAD OR RAIL?

TRANSPORT OF WAIRARAPA SHEEP MA.STERTON CARRIERS' APPLICATION. AUTHORITY RESERVES DECISION. I After a lengthy hearing yesterday afternoon of an application by a number of Masterton goods-service operators for the right to carry store lambs and sheep to Feilding and stud sheep to Wollitiglon. the No. 2 Transport Licensing Authority. Mr. J. P. Skoglund, reserved his decision. Mr J. MacFarlane Laing outlined the case for the applicants, maintaining that rail lianspori. of stock was in most eases inconvenient and unsatisfactory. Messrs. A. M. Henderson. L. T. Daniell and ,1. L. Heckler gave evidence in support of the application. Mr. Henderson, manager of lhe Now Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency, Masterton, said that for transport of stud stock carriage by road had definite advantages over rail. There was always a period of starvation between yarding and train departure, sometimes amounting' to 24 hours. Deterioration in stock inevitably resulted. The practice of sending store sheep to Feilding. in preference to selling at considerably lower prices in Masterton and Eketahtma. was growing every year, and the present system ol: restriction to rail transport was a handicap to this trade. Mr. Heckler cited instances of unsatisfactory rail transport of sheep and cattle. Mr. Daniell gave further evidence on the lines of that, of Messrs Henderson and Heckle)'. Mi'. Skoglund: "There is Gt) to 70 millions invested in railways in New Zealand and the evidence 1 have heard today seems to ask for those railways to be scrapped." Mr. Daniell: "It is the rottenest railway service in the world." Mr. Skoglund: "If these privileges were granted here they would have to be granted in other parts of New Zealand. . . . In all the argument I have heard today there has been no reference to petrol conservation. In time of war. it is up to everyone to make some sacrifice —the producer, the carrier, and the wage-earner must, if we are to win this war. From what I have heard, the railway service in this district is unsatisfactory and therefore the matter must receive a little more consideration. The service is not the fault of the Department. but lies in the situation of the line. Tn so far as the carting of store sheep to Feilding is concerned, it can still bo done by rail. I feel there is a good deal of 'stock dealer' in this and not ‘farmer.’ I will give the case more consideration. The carriers who made application were Messrs. Stuart Eros.. O. Shute. R. S. Tyacke. J. R. Donovan. O. R. Fairbrother. W. Kilmister. L. Pearson. W. R. Welch and F. B. Gray. J. W. Thornton. Junr.. applied for an amendment- oC his licence and he was represented by Mr. C. C. Marsack; decision was reserved.