TRAIN SERVICES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25021, 15 September 1942, Page 4

TRAIN SERVICES

DRASTIC CURTAILMENT MINISTER’S STRONG COMMENT (P.A.) WELLINGTON, Sept. 14. Drastic reductions in the railway services in the North Island following the stoppage of coal supplies were announced by the Minister of Railways, Mr R. Semple, to-night. These reductions involve the cancelling of the limited expresses between Wellington and Auckland, and the curtailment of other important passenger trains on other Auckland lines to three days a week. Similar, action will be taken with the expresses between Wellington, New Plymouth and Napier. Secondary passenger services will also be restricted, and goods traffic will be reduced by 50 per cent. The actual days on which the curtailed services will run have not yet been announced. In a statement issued to the miners on Sunday it was revealed that there was one week’s supply of New Zealand coal and five weeks’ supply of Newcastle coal in the North Island. It was pointed out that a continuance of the strike would risk immobilising the defence forces to a great degree. _ Mr Semple said to-night that this statement had had no effect on the miners. The men had ignored the facts and violated every principle of unionism. By doing this, they had placed themselves outside the pale of unionism. They had played into the hands of the Japanese. They had treated the Government’s appeal to reason with contempt and declared civil war on the civil community.

PERMITS TO TRAVEL

REDUCTION OF LIMIT (P.A.) AUCKLAND, Sept. 14. The distance which passengers may travel without permits has been reduced from 100 miles to 50. Persons not requiring permits to travel over 50 miles are members of the forces in uniform or servicemen and their wives and families travelling during leav'e periods, the holders of season tickets lor distances over 50 miles, and the holders of bulk travel vouchers issued prior to to-day. Others wishing to travel must pyive that they require to do so from reasons of national importance or of extreme personal urgency. CHALLENGE TO STATE DECLARATION BY MR WEBB (P.A.) WELLINGTON, Sept. 14. Tracing the history of the coal mines dispute, the Minister of Mines, Mr P. C. W-ebb, said it would be clear to all that there was no justification for the action taken by the men. Their refusal to heed the advice of thenown national organisation or to recognise their responsibility and duty to the country in its hour of peril could be interpreted only as a challenge to the State, , , . , . Mr Webb said the dispute had arisen because four pairs of miners at Pukemiro had reduced their production below tbs minimum wage requirements and were paid according to their production. The miners retused to work unless the minimum rate was paid, and the other mines went out in sympathy.