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The New Zealand Railways Magazine is delivered free to all employees in the service of the Railway Department, to the principal public libraries in the Dominion, and to the leading firms, shippers and traders doing business with the New Zealand Railways.
It is the officially recognised medium for maintaining contact between the Administration, the employees, and the public, and for the dissemination of knowledge bearing on matters of mutual interest and of educative value.
Employees and others interested are invited to forward to the Editor, the New Zealand Rail ways Magazine, Head Office, Railways, Wellington, articles bearing on Railway affairs, news items of staff interest, suitable short stories, poetry, photographs, pen and ink sketches, etc. The aim of contributors should be to supply interesting topical material tending generally towards the betterment of the Service.
Contributed articles should be signed. If to appear over a nom-de-plume this should be stated.
In all cases where the Administration makes announcements through the medium of this journal the fact will be clearly indicated.
The Department does not identify itself with any opinions which may be expressed in other portions of the publication, whether appearing over the author's name or under a nom-deplume.
Fortunately none of the feelings thus expressed by Burns on one of his doleful days need be experienced by members of the Railway Service in a survey of the past year and a forecast of the coming one. For whilst 1926 has been full of progress, 1927 is rich with promise. Let us, therefore, ruffle the pages of the year gone by and play the prophet with the coming twelve months, for, self-trust being the first secret of success and past accomplishment the surest measure of future capacity, a glance over the progress already achieved is the best prelude to the more fascinating employment of spying out the times ahead.
New ideas of service have taken shape in the minds of the staff. The Training and Correspondence School established at the start of the year already has almost two thousand students, or one-seventh of the total permanent staff, busily engaged in voluntary study intended to make them more efficient in the performance of their work. General education in railway affairs has been advanced by lectures in various parts of the Dominion, and a reference library, planned on broad lines, is in course of establishment at Head Office. Also, and as a further means for the dissemination of railway knowledge amongst the public and members of the Department, this Magazine was brought into being. In the Workshops rapid strides have been made in reorganisation, including the introduction of better methods and more modern machinery. Locomotive power, both in the unit and in the mass, has been improved by the introduction of better types, improvements to existing ones, and the withdrawal of less efficient classes. Training of apprentices during working hours has become an established practice. Stores reorganisation has been pushed on with in accordance with the best models. Although during the year the price per mile for passenger conveyance has remained unaltered, more has been given in return by way of increased attention to the comfort, safety, and convenience of train travellers. Progress in co-ordination has been recorded by group conferences amongst different branches of the service. Divisional Superintendents have harnessed in the work of each island to produce higher efficiency by the exercise of more direct authority. The year has seen a commencement in the establishment of Advisory Boards to further assist in synchronising railway operations with public requirements. The application of publicity methods to the problems of safety have secured good results.
Linking up with motors between detached sections of railway is being tried out, and a start has been made with running the first railway-owned road using buses. Thus, omitting minor details, may the progress of the year just past be summarised.
The coming year promises still further development. The Minister of Railways. Official Secretary, and Chief Engineer are soon to be here with the latest information on the railway situation in other countries. Two transport officers, are proceeding to Australia with the purpose of studying and later introducing into New Zealand new train control methods. With the bright prospect of Royalty visiting, in
There is thus clear evidence that 1927 promises to be replete with variety, studded with stimulating possibilities, and marked by a healthy expansion of railway activities in various directions. May it bear in its lap a due measure of prosperity for all!
Resulting from discussions at the Australasian Railways Commissioners' Conference recently held in Melbourne, a reciprocal arrangement has been entered into between all Australian railway systems and the New Zealand Railways for a regular interchange of ideas and suggestions which have been approved by any one of the systems and which would likely be of benefit or interest to any of the others. The information is collated and circulated by the Secretary of the Australasian Railways Conferences at Sydney.
As in New Zealand, a Suggestions Board is attached to all the Australian railway systems, and through this valuable medium the ideas and opinions of thousands of railway employees are made available for the betterment of the railways concerned.
A clause in the rules of the Suggestions and Inventions Committee of the New Zealand Railways provides that any invention or suggestion which the Committee considers might be of value to the New Zealand Railways will, if the suggester so desires and after the invention has been protected by patent, be submitted to corresponding Suggestions Boards of the Australian Railways with a view to adoption, and he will receive any awards which may be granted in respect thereof. Other Suggestions Boards have the same provision in their rules governing their operations, and frequently, at the request of those who have made suggestions, proposals are submitted to or received from corresponding Boards of the Australian Railways.
The reciprocal arrangement recently entered upon widens the scope of activities of the various Suggestions Boards and will undoubtedly have a beneficial effect, standardising or making uniform various systems or processes and, in general, introducing the latest ideas for the betterment of railway services.
The work in connection with the reconstruction of workshops at Hillside and Addington is being proceeded with expeditiously now that the contracts for the work have been placed. Mr. W. McLellan, a builder at Dunedin, has tendered successfully for portions of the work.
The iron and steel work will be supplied by the British firm of Sir William Arrol and Company. The erection of all the steel work will be undertaken by the Dunedin Engineering Company as sub-contractors. It is interesting to note that there will be absolutely no brickwork in either of the buildings, which will consist mainly of steel and concrete work. The roofs will be flat, after the style of northern shops. It was originally intended that all roofing should be of British material, but it has since been ascertained that the British article is too dear, with the result that American material will be used. The roofing will consist of alternating layers of bitumenised fabric and liquid bitumen, the whole being permanently protected by a macadamised surface. The boiling bitumen will be sprayed on the roof from marable oil-fired reservoirs. The roof areas for the two units of the contract will total about seven and a half acres. The sub-contractors will engage about 50 men for the steel work, and the building contractors expect to find work for a similar number. Towards the end of the contract more men will be required. The contract price is about £190,000 for the two shops. The Department will itself do all the foundation work for the workshops.
Among the principal transport difficulties experienced in past years, has been the maintenance in service of an adequate supply of locomotives and other rolling stock, to meet emergency conditions, particularly during holiday and seasonal traffic periods.
The Board has, therefore, decided on a comprehensive policy in regard to the withdrawal and replacement of obsolescent stock. This course is made more feasible since the establishment of a renewals fund and the commencement of reorganisation in the workshops. Under the new system, protracted delay to wagons in shops—with corresponding scarcity of vehicles available for traffic—will be avoided, since the course decided upon ensures that time will not be spent on repairs to vehicles which have reached the point where scrapping is the better course.
It is clear that the employment of locomotives and other rolling stock, which, through age, have reached a condition where any stress in excess of the ordinary might occasion a breakdown is not economically sound, and to prevent the possibility of this, the present policy of preparedness for withdrawal of obsolescent stock at the right stage has been adopted. The procedure to be followed is designed to assist improvement both in workshops turnover and in train performance, by relieving congestion in workshops repair sidings, minimising the likelihood of breakdowns, and reducing the operating cost.
The Board recognises that the fullest efficiency in this direction can only be attained if the staff back up these efforts both by exercising care and judgment in order to avoid damage through rough or careless shunting, and by promptly reporting every derailment or cause of damage which may arise in the course of the day's work.
A study of the incidence of rolling stock damage shows that a considerable amount of trouble has been experienced through “old,” i.e., unreported or undiscovered previous damage causing failures at critical times. This is a point in regard to which the train operating staff have it within their power to prove of great assistance to the management, for meticulous care in the examination of rolling stock and the immediate reporting of defects will not only help to prevent those delays inseparable from main line breakdowns, thus assisting in achieving that most desirable of transport conditions—prompt running, but it will also tend to provide a greater margin of safety for all those engaged in the handling of rolling stock.
The policy of rolling stock replacement now enunciated has a two-fold advantage. There is a point in all repair work beyond which patching becomes an expensive luxury, and this applies with particular force to railroading, where the parts of a train—like the links of a chain—are dependent for combined efficiency on the strength of the weakest portion, and where a failure at one point so frequently causes additional damage elsewhere.
Then it must be remembered that the locomotives and other rolling stock grow out of date as well as old, owing to changes produced by the more modern developments of transport requirements. In New Zealand, as elsewhere, the general demand in goods traffic is for longer trains to be hauled at higher speeds. To meet this requirement, the present types of locomotives are not always the most suitable. Then improvements in the design of locomotives is in the direction of producing increased hauling capacity from a given quantity of fuel, this consideration alone, under certain circumstances, justifying the abandonment of older types. Another feature is the increased durability necessary to withstand the constantly increasing strains and stresses of faster and heavier haulage.
A reduction in the cost of repairs due to rough handling, will put the Department in a better financial position for the supply of more modern vehicles and power units. It is particularly desired to further modernise the car stock, for it is recognised that a maximum degree of safety and comfort should be provided in passenger-carrying vehicles of all classes. Safety is being considered by the use of steel reinforcement in new ears under construction and old cars being remodelled. Comfort bordering on luxury, is one of the features of the passenger-carrying problem which has been greatly developed, under competitive conditions, by railways in other countries. It is one of the most tangible evidences of that “service” which must be rendered nowadays to gain public patronage. Overseas developments in this direction are being watched, and the best standards are being followed in the construction and equipment of our own cars with a view to increasing the satisfaction of travellers in the accommodation provided on our lines. Here again, the staff may help, for good car-cleaning work and considerate attention to the requirements of passengers en route will add to the pleasure derived from transit in well designed and comfortably equipped vehicles.
Mr. A. H. Messenger, in his capacity as Acting Government Publicity Officer, had occasion to make one of the Railway Department's special “round trips” of the Southern Lakes. He was greatly taken with the tour and, as a result, has kindly contributed the following graphic description of the rail journey through the historic Otago Central District.
My start for the tour of Central Otago by the first of the special summer expresses to leave Dunedin did not appear to be too auspicious. The morning broke grey and dismal with a fine rain falling, but I always have a feeling that somewhere just around the corner the sun will be shining, and once more I was not to be disappointed.
Engine No. 333, spick and span and gleaming with moisture as she slides down to the waiting line of carriages, awakes at once that feeling of keen interest which is a legacy of everyone's boy hood days. Just watch at any station and notice how even the most staid and prosaic of individuals will display awakened interest when the great mass of steel which is to convey them in safety through rugged and difficult country, comes gliding in under the master touch of the driver. Hurried farewells are spoken on the platform, the guard's whistle shrills, and in a few moments, with a long quiet heave, the express starts on her journey. A parting glance at the green hills and red roofs of Otago's capital and then we plunge into the long tunnel leading to the wide valley which, in turn, gives way to the beautiful Taieri plains.
Here the air is filled with the sweet scent of hawthorn as the train sweeps down the grade to the plain level, and, leaning back in comfort in the high-backed seats, one may gaze out over the wide level expanse of verdant plain-lands, intersected at intervals with lines of stately poplars and feathery blue-gums. Across the plains looms Saddle Hill, a landmark for many miles around, with the line to Invercargill, far away to the south, passing at its feet.
Leaving the level stretch of the Taieri, No. 333. finds heavy work awaiting her, and soon the measured song of her exhaust awakes the echoes as she swings her line of carriages up into the hills. In a trice the country changes completely, manuka bushes dot the steep slopes and flax lines the flanks of the narrow gullies. Sheep are grazing everywhere, and harrier hawks hang poised on wide pinions above the ridges. It is a replica of the country about Henderson on the North Auckland line, and it is this everchanging landscape which is such a pleasant feature of travel in this favoured Dominion.
Salisbury station, our first stopping place in the hills, is a tiny settlement of red-roofed houses framed in stately poplars, with patches of golden gorse providing a brilliant touch of colour. Leaving this sheltered nook our train swings on into yet another change of scenery, a grimmer country of rock and tussock which has a counterpart in the high slopes of Terawhiti. In the Gorge below the line the tawny waters of the Taieri river swirl and foam as they make their way down to the plains. From now on the country assumes a bolder and more romantic character until, at Parera station, the train passes under a towering rock face which looms darkly overhead. High above, the great brown slopes are studded with outcrops of grey rock which in places resemble the ruins of medieval castles.
At Hindon the river valley opens out, with wide shingle beds, and immediately below the station two hares lope about apparently quite oblivious to the fact that a train-load of people are watching their antics. Swinging round a curve higher up the gorge we come suddenly into view of a fine plantation of larch trees the bright green foliage being in strong contrast to the weathered slopes about us. These slopes, however, take on an added beauty under the tawny mantle of tussock which soon becomes all pervading.
At the Pukerangi station the line emerges on to what might be described as a plateau dotted every here and there with snug homesteads and plantations, while, when Middlemarch is reached, the country changes again to rich farming land with stately ranks of poplars through which may be glimpsed the rich blues and purples of distant ranges. It is a landscape of singular beauty and charm, enhanced by drifting cloud shadows and the glimpse of far off snow peaks. Later on in the day, at Ida Valley, we run into tussock country again, and nearing Lauder station, as the train curves down towards Manuherikia river, passengers are interested to see flocks of wild pigeons flying from beneath the bridges.
At Alexandra we run into the orchard country, with its glory of blossoming trees and belts of tall poplars, and these features persist as the
One at least of that train's company lingered for a parting glance at the steaming giant and paid a silent tribute to the men who rank “safety first” as the prime rule of the steel road.
The following are some opinions of the Railway Department's Southern Lakes round trips, sent by appreciative travellers to the Business Agent (Mr. A. McNeil) who booked them:—
“We thoroughly enjoyed every minute of our time, especially in the Southern Lakes District.”—E. Lucy Wyatt, Okiokinga.
“We enjoyed the little tour immensely. It was all interesting, and some of it extremely beautiful and impressive…… We shall not fail to make known our delightful impressions of the South.”—F. L. Joyce Grew, Auckland.
“The scenery is good on any part of the journey, but when you get to Queenstown the scenery is so grand that I cannot fully describe it.”—S. B. Gibb, New Brighton.
“My wife and I have thoroughly enjoyed our stay in the South Island, and particularly the trip to Wanaka and Wakatipu.”—Ernest Aldridge, Devonport.
“I feel I should like to let you know how very much we enjoyed the little tour you mapped out for us. We met with nothing but courtesy and helpfulness from every railway official we met—on trains, lake steamers and buses.”—H. C. D. Somerset, Oxford, Canterbury.
“We must say it was a most enjoyable trip. We travelled last Saturday by the morning train from Cromwell to Dunedin, and the journey was made exceptionally interesting by the guard explaining and pointing out all the different places of interest on the route.”—E. Wright, Wellington.
The illustrations shown on this page are of a miniature locomotive which is at present being constructed by Mr. G. G. Buick, a fitter of Addington Workshops. The chief dimensions of the locomotive are:—
Length 7 ft. 6 in., driving wheels 12 in. diameter, bogies 5 ½ in. diameter, cylinders 2 ½ in. bore, 4 ½ in. stroke, boiler pressure 200 lbs. per sq. in., as tested and passed by the local Government Inspector of Machinery. The side tanks and cab are yet to be made. The engine is fitted with Walschaert's valve gear and the gauge is
J. Buick, photos.
Mr. Buick started work on this job nearly five years ago as a hobby, only his spare time being employed in bringing the engine to its present stage. It is expected that the work will be finished in about six months.
The young man who is seen reclining in the boiler is Ian Buick, and we feel sure that every boy connected in any way with the service will envy him the prospect of driving this fine working model when his father's long and complicated job is finished.
The accompanying diagram is reproduced from the “Journal of the National Institute of Industrial Psychology.” The Institute was founded in 1921 for the application of psychology and physiology to industry and commerce. The idea is to discover by experiment the easiest and most efficient methods of carrying out routine tasks. In the present instance an account is given of experiments which have been carried out in Berlin to discover the best means of pushing and pulling heavy weights. Twenty athletic students took part in the experiments
1, 70.7; 2, 56.6; 3, 74.2; 4, 71.6; 5, 68.7; 6, 82.7; 7, 77.1; 8, 62.0; 9, 68.4.
The conclusion arrived at was that position 6 was the best, being 17 per cent. above the mean strength of all positions, and position 2 the worst, being 18 per cent. below the mean strength.
Fourteen months in operation and 1,511 proposals dealt with, is the record of the Committee specially appointed last year to deal with suggestions and inventions received from the staff and public. For suggestions accepted, £205 was disbursed as awards (not counting final awards), and 88 commendations were made. This summarises the results of the Committee's decisions to date whilst there are over 200 proposals still under trial or investigation.
Every one of these fifteen hundred odd suggestions had for its object improvement in the working of the Railways. With such a wealth of opinion, of inventive faculty, and of practical knowledge in regard to technical details, made available through this barrier-levelling device for letting the best brains available serve the public good, the question naturally arises, what kind of consideration do suggestions and inventions receive? With the object of finding the answer to this question we had the privilege of attending a recent meeting of the Suggestions Committee and watching them at work.
Promptly at 9.30 Mr. G. W. Wyles took the chair in the well appointed room specially provided for the Committee's use, attached to Head Office. Around the Committee table were, Mr. S. E. Fay, Operation and Equipment Assistant, Mr. L. W. Robertson, Locomotive Engineer, Chief Mechanical Engineer's Office, Mr. H. L. P. Smith, Assistant Engineer (Maintenance Branch) and Mr. A. Sutherland, Secretary to the Committee. Mr. D. Rodie, Commercial Manager, is also a member of the Committee, but was absent owing to a serious illness from which, fortunately, he has since made good recovery.
It will thus be seen that each branch of the service is represented on the Committee by an expert officer, whose special knowledge in relation to the practicability of suggestions or inventions is made immediately available.
Placed before each member was a large folio containing typewritten copies of all suggestions submitted. When the Chairman called on the orders of the day a number was named by the Secretary, folios were opened, and members settled down to the business in hand. All suggestions are known to the Committee by numbers only, this arrangement being necessary to preserve the anonymity of the suggester. The Committee's method of dealing with the surprising variety of subjects presented is orderly and expeditious. Proposals are taken in numerical sequence, and a brief discussion follows in reference to each. If the combined knowledge of the Committee is sufficient to enable a decision to be arrived at, the Chairman, after taking the feeling of the meeting, gives directions as to the terms of the reply to be sent, or dictates to the Secretary a report to be forwarded to the Board of Management. If, however, there is divided opinion, decision is held in abeyance pending either the examination of witnesses specially conversant with the subject, or the receipt of reports from Departmental officers or outside experts to whom it may be considered desirable to refer the matter.
Besides the great range of subjects dealt with, one is impressed by the fascination which certain subjects have for suggesters. Level crossing devices, for instance, are as popular as was in old times the search for the philosopher's stone. One of these happened to be the first invention dealt with. The device, with plans and models cleverly designed, was brought forward, and the proposal thoroughly discussed. On this subject the Engineers were quite at home. Then the model was set in motion. Immediately there was a whizzing and buzzing. Bells rang, flags waved, lights flashed, and booms fell. Mr. Wyles, the Chairman, led a most interesting discussion on the pros and cons of Level Crossing protection. After a decision was arrived at another number was called and the Committee went on to examine the possibilities of crossword puzzles as a means of advertising the Railways. Next came a proposal to tinker up the bolts in the bogie centres of “Ww” locomotives. Mr. Robertson was au fait with the position and, after talking briefly of spigots, cheeseheaded bolts and spherical joints, the drawings were examined, and a decision made. Many technical propositions followed, and then a proposal dealing with the “tolerance or limits of error of weighbridges” was brought up. Mr. Smith had made a special study of this question and his clear exposition enabled the matter to be quickly finalised.
The next suggestion related to transportation questions, and here Mr. Fay opened up with a general exposition of modern methods of operations as applied to transportation. Comparisons were drawn between the methods of New Zealand and those of Britain, Canada, America, and other places. Mr. Wyles held forth on English, Scottish, Indian and Australian practices. Other members joined in, and thus in ten brief minutes
Metal season tickets was the next subject for discussion. The Chairman gave a very interesting description of the manufacture and use of metal season tickets in Australia, telling how the ladies daintily carried these tickets attached to bangles on their wrists, and describing the ingenious design and methods of check. After this remit was disposed of, witnesses previously summoned were examined in connection with particular points on which the Committee desired information.
The next idea, with a tang of novelty about it, was a proposal to use long leather laces for tickling purposes. This was a practical proposal, however, the idea being already adopted on certain railroads in America and elsewhere.
Some reference to fashion in the nomenclature of engine parts was indicated in the next remit, a proposal in connection with boiler clothing. This was a device designed to prevent the shifting of the crinoline bands over boiler lagging. Ideas submitted from all parts of New Zealand were carefully discussed and decisions pertaining to them arrived at. Many and varied are the proposals which follow one another. “1065” and “1066” calls the Secretary as each succeeding suggestion comes up for discussion and decision, and in this way the Committee goes on steadily and efficiently until 5 p.m. when it is decided to call it “a day.” “The Board stands adjourned until 9.30 a.m. this day week,” states the Chairman, and the business of the day is over.
In conversation after the meeting the chairman (Mr. G. W. Wyles) stated that the establishment of a Suggestions Board had resulted in the staff taking a very keen interest in the welfare of the Department. “If the Rail-ways prosper I prosper” was the sound belief which explained the large number of suggestions put forward. Of course many of the proposals could not be adopted for various reasons, but the Suggestions Board is desirous of encouraging and suitably rewarding any who display initiative. Although a proposal may not be adopted, the Committee has the power to recommend special commendations and awards to those who have shown special interest in their idea and who have expended a large amount of work and thought in formulating their problems. “If we get something good which will save a large amount of money recommendation for a suitable bonus will follow,” stated the Chairman. “We have a basis on which we work in assessing the awards, and we take into consideration the saving resulting from the adoption of proposals put forward. We are out for ideas, improvements to existing conditions, and savings, and we will exhaust all possibilities in our endeavour to see that every proposal is thoroughly investigated and, where warranted, due reward is given.
The Secretary (Mr. A. Sutherland) states that suggestions emanating from all ranks of the service, and from the public, are coming in steadily day by day. All suggestions are numbered in order of receipt and are considered in numerical sequence. The Committee is not aware of the identity of the suggesters and consequently there can be no question that a proposal is adopted or a reward granted merely on account of their position in the service. “These considerations are eliminated under our system,” continued Mr. Sutherland. “Very often suggestions put forward cannot be adopted in themselves, but as a result of investigations put in train, some alteration or improvement is effected in another direction.” Particulars of every suggestion submitted are noted on the personal file of each member concerned.
Suggestions embodying proposals for the alteration of existing machinery or processes, etc., have been submitted from time to time and although these suggestions present advantages over existing machinery or methods, the adoption of such proposals in many cases has not been considered advisable owing to the fact that the workshops re-organisation will, when put into effect, alter in many respects the present arrangements. In such cases the member is suitably rewarded for the interest he has displayed or the time and thought he has expended in formulating his proposal. Many proposals are received which show excellent promise, and these suggestions and inventions are promptly tried out and, if adopted, preliminary awards based on the estimated saving which will accrue during the first year are granted. After the expiration of a year from the date of the adoption of the idea a substantial percentage of the actual saving accruing during that time is granted as a final bonus. In cases where the saving cannot be definitely assessed the Committee grants a first-and-final bonus.
Many suggestions draw comparisons with procedure or systems adopted elsewhere either inside or outside the service, and although many such suggestions have not been adopted, they have set inquiries in motion along certain lines which have resulted in standardising methods or machinery or modernising certain appliances which have outlived their economic usefulness.
As indicating the range of experience covered by the Suggestions and Inventions Committee members the following brief biographical details are given:—
Mr. Wyles (A.M.I.E.E., M.I.R.S.E.) has had practical railway experience on the railways in England, Scotland, on the Continent, in India and in New Zealand. Educated at Kings College and Finbury Technical College, England, his workshop and practical experience was gained while attached to the Sykes Interlocking Signal Company. Other positions held by Mr. Wyles were those of Engineering Assistant, London and South Western Railways, 1904–1907, Signal Engineer, Bombay, Baroda and Central India Railway Company, 1907–1916, Signal Engineer, Rajputana, Malwa Railways, and Assistant Signal and Electrical Engineer, New Zealand Railways, 1916–1926. Mr. Wyles has, on various occasions, undertaken investigations in regard to railway working in England, and other countries and has represented the New Zealand Government Railways at Australasian Officers’ Conferences.
Mr. Rodie (Vice-Chairman) joined the service as a cadet at Edendale in 1894, and in 1896 was transferred to the District Traffic Manager's Office at Invercargill, where he held various positions until transferred to the position of Relieving Officer at Christchurch in 1920. Mr. Rodie was later promoted to Transport Officer, District Traffic Manager's Office, Christchurch, Chief Clerk, District Traffic Manager's Office, Wanganui, and in March, 1924, was promoted to District Traffic Manager, Invercargill. On the institution of a Commercial Branch in August, 1924, Mr. Rodie was transferred to his present position as Commercial Manager, Mr. Rodie has had a wide experience on the Traffic and Operating side of railway work and his work as Commercial Manager has done much to build up the business of the Railways. As Commercial Manager Mr. Rodie represents the Department on the Hutt Valley Railway Committee, and the Government Overseas Publicity Committee.
Mr. S. E. Fay (M.Inst.T.), is Operation and Equipment Assistant for the New Zealand Railways. He has had a varied practical experience of all forms of railway work in England, on the Continent, in Canada and America. During the Great War Mr. Fay acted for a time as Deputy Assistant Director-General of Movements and Railways. He was subsequently appointed Assistant District Superintendent, London Division, Great Central Railway, and prior to coming to New Zealand was Chief Operating Officer of the Sao Paulo Railway, Brazil. He was on the secretarial staff of the Fay-Raven Commission which, in 1924, reported on the working of railways in New Zealand; and is author of the interesting series of articles on Modern Shunting Methods now appearing in this Magazine.
Mr. L. W. Robertson has recently been appointed locomotive engineer for the South Island. He joined the Railway Department as a mechanical engineering cadet in May, 1911, and served his time at the Petone Workshops, and at the Head Office of the Department. Early in 1917 he was promoted to draftsman, and two months later was transferred to the Chief Mechanical Engineer's Office in a similar capacity. In July, 1918, he became Assistant Locomotive Engineer, and was transferred to Addington, where he remained until 1923, when he was promoted to locomotive engineer. Mr. Robertson returned to the Chief Mechanical
Mr. H. L. P. Smith (A.M.Inst.C.E.), joined the engineering staff of the Railway Department in 1907 and has occupied various positions in the Wanganui, Greymouth and Christchurch districts. In 1921 he took over the duties of Assistant Engineer, Invercargill district and in 1924 was transferred to a similar position in the District Engineer's Office, Auckland. In 1925 he was attached to the staff of the Divisional Superintendent for the North Island, and was recently transferred to the Chief Engineer's Office, Wellington, as Assistant Engineer.
Mr. Smith was a member of the Shunting Inquiry Commission which last year investigated the conditions of work of the shunters in the employ of the New Zealand Government Railways. He has had a wide railway experience covering nearly every section in the Dominion.
Mr. P. R. Angus (A.M.I.Mech.E.), joined the service at Invercargill in 1910, as a Mechanical Engineering Cadet. He gained his practical shop experience at Invercargill and Addington Workshops, and his locomotive running experience at Invercargill. Following this he was transferred
Suggestions And Inventions Committee.
[From left:—Messrs. A. Sutherland, Secretary, H. L. P. Smith, P. R. Angus, G. W. Wyles, D. Rodie, S. E. Fay.
Mr. Allan Sutherland (Secretary), is the secret service man of the Suggestions and Inventions Committee. He gained his traffic experience at a number of stations in the Christchurch and Invercargill districts. On being transferred to Wellington he was attached successively to the staff of the Chief Traffic Manager, the General Superintendent of Transportation and the Commercial Manager. He was Secretary to the North and South Island Railway Boards of Appeal for about three years. For some two years he held the position of Officer in Charge of the Shorthand-Typists staff attached to the Board of Management. Mr. Sutherland is a highly qualified short-hand-writer having passed the highest set Government examination on the subject. His appointment as Government Shorthand Reporter was gazetted some time ago.
In New Zealand the standard of education and general intelligence is high, but organised methods emanating from older countries for training the staff with special reference to what is called here the “second division” do not sufficiently recognise or make provision for special local circumstances.
In order to stimulate a brighter intelligence among any group of workmen engaged upon a new work and reap the benefit of their thought and ideas, certain selected workmen should be made familiar with the general scheme, as well as with the technical details of such work and the reasons for the measures taken.
The feeling that those in authority over such work are entitled to the possession of the technical details is natural and in accord with our notions of ownership, but modern development of the co-operative spirit shows that taking the whole staff into the confidence of the men at the top and inviting their help is the most effective and harmonious method, tending to dissipate the master and servant feeling and pit each individual against his work only.
To this end the suggestion may be made that, when a work of any magnitude is commenced, involving a number of different engineering problems and engaging a number of different tradesmen and workmen for a long period, a
W. W. Stewart, Photo
On account of the proximity of the Southern Alps to the sea from which moisture-laden westerlies blow, the climate of Westland is very wet. Although the rainfall ranges from 70 inches per annum on the coast to 200 inches in the mountains it would be unfair to assert that it is always raining in Westland. The New Zealand Year Book reveals that the sunshine averages nearly 2,000 hours per annum in this part of the Dominion.
The rivers of Westland follow steep and rocky courses and after the torrential downpours in the mountains they become turbulent cascades. Their powers of corrosion and erosion cause much anxiety to bridge builders.
On 4th November last, bridge No. 1 crossing the Grey River on the Ngahere-Blackball line, was wrecked for the third time during 12 months. The collapse of two eighty feet and two twenty feet spans effectively blocked communication with Blackball and Roa, for this bridge serves both rail and road traffic. For four days these townships remained in isolation, but on the 8th idem cage communication (see illustration No. 4 below) was installed.
Westport 26.11.26
Minister of Railways
Wellington
Re Blackball Bridge engineer and workmen deserve to be complimented on their expeditious work
H E Holland M.P.
Greymouth 27.11.26
Hon F J Rolleston Wellington
On behalf of residents of Blackball and district accept their congratulations for the excellent work you and your engineers overseers and workmen have done in reerection bridge which means a great deal to the district
The standard of light in use is that of a special sperm candle, weighing six to the pound and burning at the rate of 120 grains of sperm per hour or 2 grains per minute. When it is said that an electric lamp is a sixteen candlepower lamp, it is implied that the lamp radiates as much light as do 16 of these standard candles. There are various ways of measuring candle power, but whatever method is used a great deal of care and skill is required if one would lay claim to accuracy.
For ordinary purposes, however, the apparatus described here will suffice, and has the advantage that it can be made by anyone wishing to experiment. This simple photometer consists of:—
(1) An electric glow lamp.
(2) Candle—weighing one sixth of a pound.
(3) Wedge with sloping surfaces that serve as the photometer (made of white wood or paper).
The side “A” is illuminated by the lamp and side “B” by the candle, in general the lamp side will look brighter than the other. By moving the wedge nearer to the candle a spot can be found at which the observer, looking down on the two surfaces of the wedge (from “C”) cannot see any difference between them in respect of brightness.
They are then equally illuminated; that is to say the candle light falling on “B” is equal in intensity to the electric light falling on “A.”
The distances of the candle and the lamp from the wedge enable us to calculate the power of the lamp relative to the candle. If the screen showed equal illumination when 80 inches from 1, and twenty inches from 2, the distances are as 4 to 1. But as light falls off according to the square of the distance we must square the figures before taking the proportion. The squares of 80 and 20 are 6,400 and 400 or 16 to 1.
If the single candle could be replaced by 16 the wedge would be equally illuminated when placed half way between 1 and 2.
The wedge here employed along with a scale to indicate distances from the two sources of light is called a “photometer” or “light measurer” and is one of the simplest.
The wedge should have a sharp angle, say 60£ to 70£, with the edge as sharp as possible. It is important, of course, to exclude all other lights except the two that are being compared.
Certain points in the behaviour of a lamp may be worth mentioning. Take for instance a 16 candle power lamp as a sample. It may be marked 100 v. 16 c. This means that it is intended to be worked at a pressure of 100 volts and that it then should give a light of 16 candles. As a matter of fact it will give 16 candles at this pressure only. If the pressure be increased the lamp gives more light than 16 candles, while if the pressure be reduced the lamp gives less light than 16 candles. In each case the luminous efficiency changes tremendously. Now it may appear from the foregoing that it would be economical to use a 100 volt lamp at 105 volt pressure or more, but that is not so, as such overrunning shortens the life of a lamp. Moreover when overrun, the glass blackens because of an internal coating of vaporised carbon, and this absorbs a good deal of the light produced. Hence it is important to work a lamp at the pressure marked by the maker. For instance, to use a small lamp of a voltage suitable for motor car or train-lighting work on a town supply of the usual 230 volts would ensure that the lamp and also the fuses would be blown out.
“It was not very long ago since all civilised nations accepted the figures of their birth rates as, at least, a crude test of their virility and an index to their standing in the world,” says Sir. W. Arbuthnot Lane, the famous surgeon, in the “Daily Mail.” “Even now the anxiety shown by many persons about the steady decline in our birth rate is an indication that the idea of ‘quantity’ dies hard. We are only very slowly learning that what really matters is the quality and standard of the health of the average individual. Even the death rate is a better test of a nation's well being than the birth rate, especially when it shows the number of infants saved compared with the awful mortality that prevailed a few decades ago. By these tests the Dominions of New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and Canada in the order named, stand easily highest in the world. The people of the British Dominions live nearer to nature both in their work and in their food. Their high standards of social welfare are known to the world. In addition to what alert intelligence and natural fortune have brought them, they have the boldness to accept, without question, the latest teaching in matters of health. In his latest report the Director-General of Health for New Zealand proudly claims that ‘there is probably no country in the world to-day where the fundamentals of healthy growth, fresh air, sunlight, food of
“Our kinsmen overseas realise that it is not enough to save their babies, but that health education must proceed right through the school period until the right habits are ingrained in the minds of the people. Through their health camps and nutrition classes the New Zealand authorities have transformed the physical and mental condition of many thousands of their people. We ourselves, and not the germs waiting to attack us, prepare the ground for the frequent temporary illnesses that afflict the vast majority. When the end comes it is the final stage of a long trail of bodily disorders which should never have happened.
“The remedy lies in the great trilogy of healthy living, right food, fresh air, and sunlight. Wholemeal bread, fresh fruit and vegetables, milk and other dairy produce,—these are the ideal fuel for the human engine.”
An article dealing with the Rimutaka Incline which the writer contributed to the June issue of the “N.Z.R. Magazine” proving interesting to readers, despite its technical nature, I am tempted to write a similar article describing another of New Zealand's remarkable railways, namely, the Wellington-Manawatu Company's railway. Running 84 miles from Wellington to Longburn, where a junction was made with the Government Railway system, this railway was the most important privately owned line that has ever been operated in this Dominion.
There is only one other notable private railway company which has approached the Wellington and Manawatu in point of size and that is the Midland Railway, South Island. The former was opened for traffic in 1886 and the latter in 1895, both eventually passing under Government control, in a process of amalgamation which, of course, had to come sooner or later, as the control of these separate lengths of what constituted arterial railway routes could never be satisfactory whilst entirely different managements were responsible for the private line and the adjoining Government owned railways.
The first section of the Wellington and Manawatu Railway to be opened for traffic extended from Wellington to Pukerua. In 1886 the line was opened for traffic throughout from Wellington to Longburn, the construction branch being debited with the sum of £3,780, or £60 per mile, towards the maintenance of the 63 miles of the line during the first twelve months after opening from Pukerua to Longburn.
In the year 1887, approximately 40 years ago the percentage of working expenses to gross receipts was 38.8, comparing very favourably with the average working expenses of the Government lines throughout New Zealand in the same year, which, according to the working Railway Statement for 1887 were 64.67 per cent. The total revenue from all sources in the same year was said to be very satisfactory indeed.
It is necessary, however, to draw attention to the scheme whereby the company owned quite a considerable amount of land adjoining the route of their railway. During 1887 for instance, the lands sold by the Company ran into 32,816 acres; whilst other land transactions, lands allocated to settlers, lands submitted to auction, and purchased lands of the company, all netted a respectable income for the shareholders. Altogether a total sum of £52,629 was realised on land deals in that year. Other remunerative sources of income were the number of sawmills and flax mills, nearly a dozen all told, which were erected alongside the railway. The steady increase of local traffic with the settlement of the company's lands, and the benefit of through traffic from the north, all helped to swell the revenue.
In 1888 arrangements were made with the Government Railways so that through passengers to stations on the New Plymouth and Wanganui line were no longer required to change carriages at Longburn Junction, the coaches being hauled through by Government Railway locomotives over the latter part of the journey.
It is interesting, while talking of the passenger traffic, to bring under notice the unique tickets which were in use at some stations on the railway. These were made of thin pasteboard with a slit in the middle containing neat little sheets of advertisements folded up. Some of the station names were spelt differently from what they are now. Paekakariki was then spelt with an “i” instead of “e” for the third letter. It is only in recent years that the last of these tickets were withdrawn from stations, and it seems a pity they were not preserved as a record of earlier days. The practice of printing an advertisement on the back of ordinary train tickets survived, however, until later years and was a favourite with the Government Railways at one time.
Forty years ago the wood burning locomotive was commonly encountered in the colonies, and New Zealand was no exception to the rule. The Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company employed wood instead of coal on their tender engines running between Paekakariki and Longburn, not only because of the economies resulting by its use, but as being an important factor in the disposal of the bush lands owned by the Company. The annual saving in firing with the wood burning machines was estimated at between £300 and £400 per loco. Later, two larger “consolidation” 2–8–0 type locos. were converted to burn wood fuel and the amount of wood required was more than double what was previously necessary. The supply was the means of assisting very materially the settlers or those who purchased the company's lands, as perhaps the greater part of the land was then virgin bush.
The use of fire-wood was discontinued in the summer months in order to avoid the risk of causing fires in the bush.
An unusual feature in those days was the provision of special trains and facilities for taking intending purchasers to inspect the land. An estimate published in 1888 says that upwards of 220 settlers with their families were in occupation of land bought from the company in that year.
Steps were also taken to sell the surplus land adjoining Plimmerton station, and even in those days we find a proposal on foot to have the ground suitably levelled and prepared, with a view to offering from 40 to 50 building sites for marine villas in front of the sandy sea-beach at Plimmerton. Evidently the manipulations of the modern sea-side estate companies were not entirely unknown forty years ago in the Dominion. Another branch of the railway company's enterprise included providing the access from the railway stations to the back blocks or rural sections owned by the Company and not sold. Most of these were merely bridle tracks and would permit of the most distant sections being reached on horseback.
The return of traffic for the year ended 29th February, 1888, shows that 122,766 passengers, 4,932 tons merchandise, 863,500 super feet of timber, 6,230 bales of wool, 112,736 sheep, 13,932 cattle, pigs and horses were carried.
During the early part of 1887 a workshop, measuring 100 feet by 40 feet, with smithy attached, was completed at Wellington. This shop had to serve for all ordinary repairs of locomotives and rolling stock. When any heavy work for special repairs had to be done it was given to private firms in Wellington who had the machinery and materials, and could turn out the work cheaper than if executed in the railway workshop. This at the same time saved the Company the cost of installing expensive machinery and tools in their workshop.
The water supply to the various stations was obtained mostly by gravitation. At Wellington it was supplied from the City Mains; at Johnsonville, Paremata and Packakariki, by gravitation, and at Otaki by a small hot-air engine. At Longburn a steam pump, supplied by the locomotive when in the shed at night, and one hot-air engine sufficed to pump sufficient water. Needless to say, the hot-air engines were utter failures, being very expensive to run and not very powerful machines. Why hot-air engines were ever installed is hard to understand.
The rolling stock in use comprised eight locomotives, 18 bogie carriages, one 20ft. dining car, two bogie passenger brake vans, two 4-wheel brake vans, four goods brake vans (4 wheel), three K meat vans, three K covered goods, 39 L wagons, 47 M, 18 ballast, eight V bogie box wagons, 20 U, 15 S, 15 T bogie cattle trucks, four G horse boxes, and two ten ton travelling cranes.
One of the engines was a small ballast engine named “Weka,” four were tank engines, and the remaining three, tender engines. Turntables numbered three. To man the engines there were six drivers, six firemen, seven cleaners. Several other trades were generally represented, by one solitary member. There were for instance, only one carpenter, one turner, one machinist, one carriage examiner and one improver, employed on the railway, all being attached to the locomotive branch of the service and under the control of the locomotive engineer.
The traffic staff in those halcyon days was even smaller. The services of Traffic Manager, Loco. Superintendent and Engineer were rolled into one position; one individual serving for all three capacities. Besides this somewhat overworked official, there were of course a number of clerks, etc., employed in the Head Office.
The Traffic staff proper included five station-masters, one goods clerk, two booking clerks, two travelling ticket clerks, one cadet, three guards, one shunter, three porters, two carriage cleaners, two storemen and one messenger. Most of the staff were transferred to the Government Railways when the Wellington and Manawatu Company ceased to exist as a separate concern.
In the permanent way branch the total number of persons employed, inclusive of all grades, was 64. Fettlers, or surfacemen, accounted for forty-five out of this number. There was only one Inspector of Permanent Way, and he was responsible for the total route mileage.
Before bringing this account to a close mention must be made of an astonishing speed record which was later established on the Wellington and Manawatu Railway by one of the Company's locomotives, Nr. 10, a Baldwin 2–6–2 type, known as class “N” on the New Zealand Railways. There had been proposals afoot for the Government to purchase the Wellington and Manawatu Railway, and, spurred on, no doubt by the anxiety of the many shareholders who wished to keep the Railway as it was, a special train was arranged with the object of demonstrating and emphasising to the Parliament then in session in Wellington, the superiority of a private railway over the Government owned line in the matter of speed. On the run a maximum of 64 miles per hour was attained. This is believed to be still the world's record for the 3ft. 6 ingauge.
He lives long who lives well; and time misspent is not lived, but lost.
A railway having 20 miles of main track for the exclusive transportation of potatoes is in operation on the 7,000 acre potato farm of W. Dennis and Sons in Lincolnshire, England. The railway (which has a gauge of two feet, and rails of 14lbs. weight per yard) is operated both by horses and by a steam driven tractor—the steam being generated by kerosene. The tractor is started by means of a hand pump. Two tons of potatoes can be carried in each wagon, and 400 wagon loads can be successfully despatched in one day. The potatoes are sent to London, to Peterborough and to various ports for export.
Lovers of dogs will be delighted with the stories of canine sagacity and fidelity contained in the pages of “The Dog Mind and its Human Characteristics,” by Viva, recently published by Hutchinson. One of the most interesting of the stories is that concerning “Railway Jack,” as he was called, a dog who found (as do so many humans) that travelling in trains is one of the most pleasurable of experiences. “Jack,” a fox-terrier, was a frequent traveller for some years on the trains between Lewes and London. He belonged to the stationmaster at the former place. He seems to have travelled simply for the love of it and he seemed to know all the trains up and down, and at times got out at intermediate stations apparently to enjoy a run and explore. He never missed the last train home at night. Once he took a train at Willesden Junction to Edinburgh. He was fed and looked after for a week by friendly railwaymen while he had his change of air, and afterwards returned home on the Brighton line. “Jack” was never known to get into a wrong train to take him home. Once he was waiting for a train on the platform; when one came up he was lifted into the guard's van, but immediately jumped out. He knew in some extraordinary way that the train would not take him home. He retired to the waiting-room and waited for his own train for Lewes.
Sir Gerald Bellhouse, Chief Inspector of Factories for Britain, states in his annual report for 1925, that cranes cause more fatalities than any other form of mechanism used in industry. The subject is to be investigated by a committee of the Engineering Standards Association.
Much interest was taken in a large model of the “Brown-Turner” level crossing automatic gate, a demonstration of which was given before a number of leading railway officers recently. The model which, together with working plans, had been submitted to the Railway Suggestions and Inventions Committee, consists of a gate or boom suspended between uprights and balanced by means of cables and balance weights. At a distance from each side of the level crossing the rails were insulated (as for electric signalling) and the approaching miniature train operated a relay. This in turn operated a warning bell and red danger lights, at the same time bringing down a boom or gate which closed the crossing against road traffic. The boom remained down until the train was clear and then automatically returned to its normal position above the crossing.
The device as put forward was excellently designed and evidently much skill and care had been expended on its manufacture. In effect, however, it did not differ from many level crossing safety or warning devices, which have been submitted in the past.
In view of the possible waste of mechanical genius on further inventions of a similar nature, it may be opportune to point out that the operation of descending gates or booms at level crossings in other countries has been considered to constitute a serious danger to road vehicles, owing to the possibility of such vehicles being struck by descending booms or barriers, and also to the risk of road vehicles being trapped on the line between the gates.
The buses shewn below commenced running under Railway Management in November, 1926. They now supply a twenty minutes service during the busy hours of the day and are well patronised.
“….A radiance became manifest which absorbed the whole faculty of observation—the radiance of such a massed body of glow-worms as cannot be found anywhere else in the world, utterly incalculable as to numbers and merging their individual lights in a nirvana of pure sheen…… To bow the head in adoration of Beauty was but to meet its whole shimmer reflected, unwrinkled, in the quiet river below.” In such eloquent language does a distinguished visitor to New Zealand describe those glittering tabernacles of the underworld, the Waitomo Caves,
(The cross and line indicate the actual sizes of fly and larva respectively.)
The phenomenon of light production in the animal kingdom is one of very great interest and has occupied the attention of investigators for many years. A number of insects are self-luminous because they have special light-producing organs; others again are luminous because of the presence of light-producing bacteria in their blood—the luminous sand-hoppers belong to this group. Still other insects owe their luminosity to the injestion of luminous food. The glowworms belong to the group of insects which have special light-producing “photogenic” organs. These organs are situated near the apex of the abdomen, or along the sides of the body of the insects in which they exist. The structure of the light emitting organs is, in all cases, essentially the same, and consists of an outer (light emitting) layer, and an inner (reflective) layer. Delicate trachae (breathing tubes) and nerves connect one layer with the other. The external covering or skin of the photogenic organs is translucent. A microscopic examination of the reflective layer of these interesting organs reveals the cells of which they are composed as containing urate crystals which act as a barrier to the internal dispersion of the light. It is astonishing to observe that the luminious efficiency of the light of these insects—it is especially true of the fireflies—is nearly 100 per cent. It is 97 per cent. greater than the ordinary gas flame (all the rays of which, above three per cent., are heat or chemical rays), 90 per cent. greater than the electric are, and 65 per cent. greater than sunlight itself.
“Queens of the insect world…… What lamp so fit, so pure as thine?”
Though called glow-worms, they are not, in reality, worms at all. The glow-worms of the Waitomo Caves are the larvae of flies of the fungus gnat family, as the glow-worms of Europe are the wingless females of a Lampyrid beetle. The fly and the larva figured in the illustrations
“When a small insect like a midge, attracted by the glowing light of the ‘worms,’ comes in contact with the thread (which is covered with a sticky substance) it is lost without hope, as it sticks there in spite of its efforts to escape. The vibrations generated by its efforts to escape attract the attention of the ‘worm’ which speedily winds up the hanging thread at the end of which hangs its victim, just as an angler would do with his catch. The poor midge is chewed up and completely absorbed by the ‘worm.’”
As with every form of plant and animal life, the life of the glow-worms depends upon the food supply. In Waitomo they live for several months because the food conditions are ideal. The river flowing through the Caves is rich in organic matter upon which the larvae of midges feed in millions. These larvae develop into flies which are attracted to the roof of the cave by the light of the glow-worms, and captured and consumed in the way described. When the glow-worm grows to maturity it re-absorbs its streaming threads, hangs down from the main horizontal thread and commences that most wonderful of changes which culminates in its complete transformation from larva to fly.
Thus do living organisms produce the dazzling beauty of the Waitomo Caves.
With a view to testing the possibilities of week-end traffic in the Auckland District the Commercial Branch recently made arrangements for the running of excursion trains to Waitomo Caves and Rotorua on the same day. So successful was the initial experiment that it is proposed to provide a series of similar excursions throughout the summer months.
Reporting on this new feature of railway activity in the north the “New Zealand Herald” has the following:—
To Rotorua.—“The first Sunday excursion train from Hamilton to Rotorua proved a great success.
“This train was an experiment and the Railway Department will no doubt be encouraged to arrange for more excursions of this nature. Crowds visited Whakare-warewa and trips were made to the Fairy Springs and other sights. Launches were also run on the lake. The train arrived in Rotorua at 10.30 a.m. and left on the return journey at 4.30 p.m.”
To Waitomo.—“Over 250 passengers left Auckland for Waitomo yesterday morning on the first of the series of special excursion trains which the Railway Department propose running during the summer months.
“The motor bus service from Hangatiki to the caves accommodated all the passengers, who, favoured by fine weather, spent a most enjoyable day.”
Mr. A. W. Wellsted, Business Agent for the Auckland District, accompanied the Waitomo party. He reports that the refreshment rooms at Frankton were open, and that most of the passengers partook of the usual ham sandwich and cup of tea.
On arrival at Hangatiki the motor cars and buses, which had been arranged for by the Department, rapidly filled, and, within a very short space of time, the excursionists were on their way to the caves.
Arrived at Waitomo, the Hostel Manager (Mr. Cook), assisted by a number of guides, despatched parties to the various caves, and the visitors commenced their inspection of Waitomo, Ruakuri, and Aranui By 5 p.m. practically everyone had finished their sightseeing, and the cars commenced to run them back to Hangatiki station, the train leaving on its homeward journey at 6.20 p.m.
The passengers were most enthusiastic in their praise regarding what had been seen, and were very complimentary in their references to the Department for the enterprise shown in running the train.
Day excursion fares were charged, the second return fare from Auckland being 12s. 6d. for the 120 miles to Hangatiki. The motor fare to Waitomo was 5s. and the caves fee was at the rate of 2s. per cave. It will thus be seen that the outing was inexpensive, a factor which no doubt contributed much to its popularity.
A word spoken in quietnes and by way of appeal to the free judgment and reason of men can rarely fail to be in season.
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Wisdom consists, not in seeing what is directly before us, but in discerning those things which may come to pass.
The doctor told her that what she needed was a good hearty meal at night and then to stop thinking about her stomach. “But, doctor, only two months ago you told me to avoid dinner at night, and to take a light supper instead.”
“Oh, did I?” replied her medical adviser, reflectively. “Well, that shows what marvellous strides medical science is making!”
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Street Orator: “It's knowledge we want! Ask the av'ridge man when Magna Carta was King of England — and ‘e can't tell yer!”
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Thrills!
A little fellow left in charge of his tiny brother called out, “Mother, won't you please speak to baby? He's sitting on the flypaper and there's a lot of flies waiting to get on.”
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She: “I wouldn't even consider marrying you, you are impossible. You are the most stupid and idiotic creature on earth. You are repulsive and miserable. I would not marry you if you were the last man on earth. I hate and despise you. You are despicable.”
He: “Do I understand that you are rejecting my proposal?”
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The attorney for the gas company was making a popular address. “Think of the good the gas company has done!” he cried. “If I were permitted a pun, I would say, in the words of the immortal poet, ‘Honour the Light Brigade.’”
Voice of a consumer from the audience: “Oh, what a charge they made!”
The following interesting piece of correspondence is recorded to show how time may be wasted by failure to apply the principles of common-sense to a simple query.
The white copy of a Guard's P.—9 ticket showed no amount paid, whereas the yellow original indicated 7d. in the paid column. When the Stationmaster referred the matter to the Guard concerned asking for an explanation of the difference, the reply sent was, “The difference between Guard's and passenger's copies is this: The Guard's copie is a yellow ticket with Guard's ticket written across it, and the passenger's ticket is a plain white one.’ On being pressed further the following reply was extracted: — “The carbine must of been folded therefor causing it to miss.”
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The house surgeon of a London Hospital was attending to the injuries of a poor woman whose arm had been severely bitten. As he was dressing the wound, he said: “I cannot make out what sort of animal bit you. This is too small for a horse's bite, and too large for a dog's.” “Oh, sir,” replied the patient, “it wasn't an animal; it was another lydy.”
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Doctor (to patient): “Your case is a serious one sir, and I think a consultation had better be held.”
Patient (too sick to care for anything). “Very well, doctor, have as many accomplices as you like.
We have gone through the shops at Petone. The general impression gained was much the same as that described in the Saga of King Olaf, when
A visit to the Railway Workshops is all that is needed to assure anyone that the time has fully arrived when new shops are necessary to cope adequately with the work which, through many years of steady railway expansion, has become more and more hampered by congestion in the existing old buildings.
On entering any of the shops the visitor observes the new Time Machines, with the racks alongside containing the cards of employees. On arriving or leaving the shop, each employee takes his card out of one rack, punches it in the Time Machine, and places it in the other rack. The machine types the time on the card. We saw the rush in one shop when the cease-work whistle sounded, and the speed with which everyone was “clocked out” was remarkable. This system, introduced recently, accurately records the time of every member in the shop. Under the old system only the time of arrival and departure at the main gate was recorded.
There is an air of ordered efficiency about the building very pleasing to the beholder. Drawbacks, of course, exist. Such murkiness, for instance, as is found in the blacksmiths’ shop will be done away with in the new buildings. Under the re-organisation already effected, there has been a grouping of machines for special classes of work which does much to expedite production.
The men are proud of the capacity of some of the new machines installed. All these are motor driven, so that belting is not so much a feature of the workshops as in the past. We saw a powerful punching and slotting machine, and a spindle lathe into which long lengths of bar metal are put for cutting up to the length and thickness desired; then a surface grinding machine with its many revolving emery wheels putting a fine finish on machined metal attracted attention. An interesting piece of machinery, the “rumbler,” looks like an old fashioned churn or a modern washing-machine, and is used for polishing up cast iron articles, which tumble about as the machine revolves losing in the process their roughness by friction. A special gritty material is put in with the articles to assist in sanding them off, and the result is to put a fine smooth surface on formerly rough-faced articles. Two new Bullard boring mills are among the fast working machines introduced. In a vertical turret lathe were piston rings being cut for locomotives. Then the new high-speed planer and grinding machines claimed attention.
The main shop for moulding is interesting, for here it is that crucibles full of molten metal are poured into moulds made of special sand to form the required shapes.
An indication of what can be done by improved machinery is furnished by the new Loudon lathe for turning wagon wheels. This is a very powerful machine, boring deeply and quickly, so that whereas the older pattern of lathe was considered to be doing quite well with six pairs turned per day, this one can turn 16 pairs in the same time.
Electrically driven machines for supplying compressed air to all air-driven machinery in the workshops are installed in a special room. These require no attention beyond lubrication. They supply compressed air at 100 lbs. to the square inch, and have an automatic safety valve. It was fascinating to watch this device cut off the power as soon as 100 lbs. was reached and bring the power in again immediately any reduction took place.
In the blacksmithy department great strides have been made in the establishing of machinery to reduce human labour. A bolt-making machine capable of making 2,000 ordinary bolts per day was introduced about twelve months ago. Four samples of tools which this monster could make accompanied the machine from the manufacturers, but at Petone already over a hundred types of tools have been made from it, and its amazing adaptability to meet new requirements shows no signs of exhaustion. It bends and twists, slots and moulds practically anything in the bolt line up to 1 ½ ins. in thickness. We saw bond chain screws and shackles, superheater element bolts, wagon hinges, and back plates made by this mechanical vulcan. Hexagonal-headed
A larger tool shed has recently been provided. Here tools from all the workshops are brought for grinding up, a man being constantly employed for this purpose. When any tool is required, it is obtained from this shed, all ready sharpened. Previously every man had to grind up his own tools, and several might want to be grinding at the same time. The new method thus helps efficiency. The grinder becomes expert at his job and so time is further saved. The sharpened tools are all laid out on tables and racks in order, and are thus immediately available.
The shops are working at full pressure, with ordinary preparations for holiday traffic, augmented by preparation of the Royal train. Four engines are expected to share the honour of hauling Royalty in the North Island. These are Ab 833, A 600 (which previously conveyed the Prince of Wales), Ww 131 and Ww 575.
W. W. Stewart, photo.
A new plan which works well is one under which all jobs for outside departments and other shops are prepared in a separate building. Some Departments so supplied are the Car and Wagon Inspector's, Post and Telegraph, and Public Works. Here also are water gauge mountings, fusible plugs, and Westinghouse pump valves made.
A feature of the shops work at Petone is the daily consultation of the Manager and his foremen in order that progress reports may be made and the whole work synchronised.
The general impression created by a visit to the Workshops is that on the manufacturing side the Department is well up with the times.
We are never so much disposed to quarrel with others as when we are dissatisfied with ourselves.
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No pleasure is comparable to the standing upon the vantage ground of truth.—Bacon.
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A sense of humour is the love child of the intelligence.—Sir Herbert Tree.
There is no more vital point, in the matter of advancing the mutual interests of both the Employees and the Management of the Department, than that of the attitude of one to the other, and the means provided for getting together so that matters of common interest may be intelligently discussed and properly understood.
There never was anything new to any particular shop or place that was not objected to by some. Almost always these objections, unless they are of the “on principle” kind, can be cleared away when the objection is properly understood, and when there is an attitude of confidence between the parties concerned.
At the present time two subjects, “Shops Committees” and “Payment by Results,” are causing considerable discussion, and I feel there is a need to show that what the Department is endeavouring to do is not experimental, but actually sound business practice, and that it is so accepted by Labour. In order to prove this last statement I am going to extract from the September issue of “Printers Ink,” an authorised interview granted to Chester M. Wright by William Green, the President of the American Federation of Labour.
William Green is the man who succeeded Samuel Gompers. He has risen to the Presidency of this huge Labour organisation (which includes all railways in America) through all the intermediate steps, and his views on management, his frank avowal of intention to co-operate with progressive management, and his recognition of joint responsibility for profits on which wages and dividends depend should show the man who thinks for himself that there is soundness behind our actions.
It must be conceded that the right idea is to copy the methods of successful people or successful countries if we are to be successful ourselves. William Green represents the highest paid workers in the world and probably the most successful trades union in the world. I ask you to read the following slowly and to “get” it all—because It applies to us:—“With us,” said the President of the American Federation of Labour, “the existing order is accepted.”
“That the first big point in my mind is that we accept the existing order,” he went on, “and that, this being so, employees and employers must go on working together. All of us may as well make up our minds that we have to go on working together. It is a fact. We must accept it and if we accept it and understand that there is no use thinking of the situation in any other way, we shall begin to get on better.
“My second thought inevitably is that American industry cannot be successful if there is any notion of exploitation in the hearts or minds of either wage earners or employers. If either of these feels that there is exploitation at the hands of the other, industry will certainly pay the penalty. I mean that there must be no sense of injustice by either at the hands of the other.
“Employers must feel that they are dealt with fairly, that their fundamental rights are recognised, that they are not made the victims of unfair practices. Employees must feel that their rights are recognised honestly and honourably, that their treatment in wages and working conditions is fair and that they are not in any way hoodwinked or brow-beaten.
“Third, employees and employers and all of us must see that wages and profits both come out of that industry and that they cannot come from any other source. And neither can get out what is not put in.”
Here, Mr. Chester Wright put a frank, blunt question. “There are many men” he said, “who will say that this sounds well, but is this merely doctrine, or is it a policy that is getting into practice; and what is being done to spread the practice.”
“The workers are beginning to see the situation in a new light,” Mr. Green replied. “We are not deluding ourselves into the belief that it is generally accepted. There must be education on both sides. But that is the direction and more and more the footsteps are being turned that way, because it is the right way. The right way always winds out because nowrong way can long stand up against it.
“There is the Baltimore and Ohio Railway Plan, as it is called, now spreading to the Canadian Lines, to the Milwaukee Railroad, to the Virginian Railroad. There is the well-known example of the garment industry in Cleveland. And I know from reports and letters and personal talks that this same thing, this business of getting together on a more intimate co-operating, co-working basis, is going on in all manner of shops, all manner of concerns, all manner of plants of which we hear nothing in public discussion. The spread of wisdom and of wise and profitable practices is quietly going on, the frontiers of good sense and good relations—enlightenment—are being pushed farther along each day, even though it is quiet progress.
“It has spread farther than we know, this understanding in industry. And now what is it that both sides must recognise first of all? First, we must recognise that the employer has a right to run his plant. He has a right to make a profit in his plant. He has a right to associate with others. He has the rights that go with the institution of private property. We must all understand those rights, respect them and if necessary help protect them. Employers must recognise that the workers have the right to organise and to bargain collectively. They have a right to try to improve their condition. They have a right to an effective voice in determining the conditions under which they shall work.
“If both sides can come to an understanding of the rights of each, then all are in a position to proceed in a friendly spirit, in honesty and understanding to the development of practices and methods that will result in the largest possible production and the largest possible return to all.
“We hear more or less about wasteful practices on the part of labour, about duplication of effort, about ‘putting it over’ the employer. Frankly, we all know that there have been and there are such practices. But these are not things that must always be. They are not a necessary part of industrial life and they can be eliminated. There are even greater wastes and greater evidences of wrong on the part of management. These, too, can be overcome and eliminated.
“Let me speak very frankly about this phase of industry. There are wasteful practices. All workers and all organisations of workers are not yet in a state of perfection. There are practices and rules that it is perhaps even difficult to defend from the standpoint of theory alone. But generally these things come out of the past and in the past there were what seemed good and sufficient reasons for them. And perhaps in some cases they were even the result o