Please wait. Contacting image service... loading

Article text

RAILWAY MANAGEMENT.
SOME REMARKABLE INFORMATION.
A great deal of interesting information
tlmt is seldom if ever mnde public is divulg
ed at the meetings which the head of each
branch of the Railway department holds
with liis chief officers once a month. These
meetings may bo necessary to the manage-,
incnt of the railways on the present extra
vagant system, but an enormous amount of'
clerical labor and expense must be entailed
m printing huge reports of the proceedings.
IJhj reports arc only circulated among the
high ofliCKils of the dcpatmcnt. The'
minutes of a recent meeting of the oflicers
f the traffic branch contain some remark-'
able facts regarding the running of the
trams. A table is given showing the per
centage of trains which ran on time during
the month.. Of the -whole of the express
and passenger trains, only GG.31 per cent
ran within live minutes of advertised time;
On the suburban lines, where for the safety
of passengers it is necessary . that trains
should run like clock work, there was a.
considerable percentage of trains late. Al
though each train has its own line, and
there is apparently no reason whatever why
delays should occur, 1 train in. every 19
failed to run to time.
p As showing the extent to which overtime
is paid throughout the department, it may
be mentioned that the traffic overtime for
K/G 11101 an,ountcc to no less than £812
Attached to the printed report of the
meeting of traffic oflicers, in itself a dosumenb
ot twelve large pages, is 1m elaborate ap
pendix giving a synopsis of district superin
tendents reporta for the month. A glance
nt tins synopsis is sufficient to convince any
one of the disgraceful slate into which the
locomotives nnd rolling stock have been
allowed to drift. _ The following extracts '
from reports nre given in regard to the sup
ply of engine power and rolling Btock:—
Mr. Jones i reports:— Incrcnsed. number of engine
failures mado supply less satisfactory than usual.
Mr.' Hayes:— Increase in number of engine fail-
urea and want of passenger Block greatly felt.
Mr. Wotherapoon:— Loco, power bad. Engines
Bcnreo and too small. Rolling stock also bad.
Mr. M hoc: — Engine failures numerous.
Mr. Smith Unsatisfactory. Engine failures mi-
incrous and trucks scnrcn.
Mr. M'Tiiggart;— Supply of loco, power and roll-
lug stock inadequate.
Mr. Reai Ic Eiiglno - power unequal to demands.
stod) £'r<wir 18 s,,pply Bl,ort' itoiii,,B
$