“Thank You, New Zealand”!

Christmas Greetings to our readers everywhere, and from the bottom of our hearts a great “Thank you, New Zealand!” for your magnificent stand for freedom.

At this traditional season of goodwill and amity among men, we find ourselves battling with forces brought into play to trample on freedom and establish ruthless rule throughout the world. Our liberty-loving peoples have answered the call in wonderful fashion. This great Commonwealth of Nations, hand-in-hand with our very good French friends and backed up by decent-minded people in all corners of the globe, will never rest until aggression and the mad mania for power have once and for all been smashed, and a sane order of society firmly established.

All of us at Home knew that New Zealanders would be among the keenest to uphold freedom's flag. In this Centennial year in her colourful story, New Zealand once again clearly shows the world where her heart lies. This big family of ours had no enmity against the misguided German people, as was pointed out in the leaflets dropped over Germany by our airmen at the beginning of hostilities. But so long as Hans and Fritz allow themselves to be governed by ruthless rulers, and blindly carry out their dictates, there can never be peace and security in the world.

“As Cool as Cucumbers.”

Here in Britain—to quote Mr. Huggins, the Southern Rhodesia Prime Minister, who recently left London for home—we are all “as cool as cucumbers.” The Zurich paper, the Swiss “National Zeitung” gives us the candid views of a neutral observer: “London's spirit is unshaken. Britain's mood is serious, with an unshaken conviction that sacrifices must be borne in the interest of the final victory.” This calm and determined outlook is to-day everywhere apparent. It is, indeed, the outstanding impression gained while travelling throughout the length and breadth of the land.

These London Letters of mine are bound to be somewhat restricted for the present. In these stirring times there are unlikely to be many striking transportation developments to record, while for obvious reason many of the activities of our railways cannot be commented upon. In peace and war alike, however, railways quietly and efficiently carry on, and we, too, hope to continue our London Letter month by month, thereby maintaining this old-established friendly link between the railway folk of our two countries, and incidentally reflecting the spirit of Britain as we see it from day to day.

Railways Under Government Control.

In accordance with pre-arranged plans, the Home railways were taken over by the Government at the beginning of the conflict, through the Ministry of Transport, with the Railway Executive Committee as the pivot of movement. The Committee comprises six members—Sir Ralph Wedgwood (Chairman), Sir James Milne (G.W.R.), Mr. C. H. Newton (L. & N.E.R.), Mr. Frank Pick (London Transport), Mr. Gilbert S. Szlumper (Southern) and Sir William Wood (L.M. & S.). This move is on similar lines to what happened in 1914. At that time, however, there were over a hundred individual railways in Britain, whereas to-day, as a consequence of grouping, the railways controlled comprise only ten separate undertakings, as follows: the four main-line groups, the London Passenger Transport Board, the East Kent Light Railway, the Kent and East Sussex Light Railway, the King's Lynn Docks and Railway, the Mersey Railway, and the Shropshire & Montgomeryshire Light Railway.

A unit of the New Zealand Railways Road Services fleet during the great snowstorm experienced in Central Otago in August, 1939.

Actually, the change from private to Government control does not make any really marked differences to working methods. It simply assures that national needs have preference on all occasions, and that the railways, through co-ordinated management, are operated with a maximum of efficiency in the common cause. Railwaymen, because of the importance of their job, are not being released wholesale for military and naval service. Numbers of younger railway men, not engaged on essential work, have been permitted to join the colours, while in the case of skilled men in the operating and engineering departments, many have taken up service with the Transportation Troops. By degrees, railwaymen in some grades will doubtless be liberated, especially younger employees, and their places taken by older men and temporary women workers.

During the 1914–1918 struggle, women workers were a common sight on passenger station platforms, in offices and other railway premises. Female engine-drivers and signalmen, however, never were seen in Britain. In France women were engaged in many railway jobs, and page 43 on both sides of the Channel there was universal admiration for the manner in which these temporary employees filled the gaps created by the release of men for other services.

Time-tables Restricted.

Passenger train time-tables at Home are invariably cut down during the present season, but the cuts this year have naturally taken a somewhat severer form. The Railway Executive Committee have re-shuffled the time-tables to meet wartime conditions, and both main-line and suburban services have been considerably curtailed. Most of the London tube services have been retained, particularly those operating during the morning and evening rush hours, economy being effected through the closing of some of the less important stations. Special services, such as restaurant car facilities and sleeping cars, have also been curtailed, but everywhere there is a sufficiency of comfortable rail transport to meet all needs, and there is no restriction on the movement of passengers as between one part of the country and another. Railway-operated steamships, which mostly worked to and from the continent, have been withdrawn, and the vessels put to more useful tasks. Railway hotels also have in some instances been acquired for various national uses.

Railways' Part in the Great Evacuation.

As in 1914–18, the Home railways are performing fine work in connection with military movements, but this is a story for which we shall have to wait awhile. Outstanding among military activities of which we can freely speak is the remarkably fine work achieved in connection with the evacuation from the large centres of some millions of children and others. This was actually the greatest organised movement of humanity ever attempted, and while road transport played an exceptionally fine part in the evacuation, it was upon the railways the major task fell. Not readily shall we forget the scene at the big termini, as train load after train load of youngsters of all ages was despatched, nor must we neglect to place on record the quiet heroism of the parents at the parting. Young England will have cause to bless the railways in years to come, and as for the railwaymen engaged in this momentous movement, they one and all rose majestically to the occasion, just as we knew they would.

Railway Difficulties in Germany.

Wartime imposes many restrictions upon transport, but compared with conditions in Germany the traveller at Home is indeed fortunate. Our own and the French railways are to-day admirably equipped to meet every demand made upon them. Very different is the railway situation in Germany. Shortage of rolling-stock has, for many months created difficulties there, and locomotive and track maintenance is considerably in arrears. Good coal, too, must be getting scarce, while fuel oil also will present a problem. The acquisition of the Austrian and Czechoslovakian lines brought a greatly increased mileage under the Berlin jurisdiction, but the occupation also brought with it difficulties galore from the transport viewpoint. Czech railwaymen, in particular, have no love for their new masters, and to keep traffic moving on the Czechoslovakian lines must present prodigious problems in the peculiar circumstances now ruling. As one Czech refugee in Britain remarked to the writer the other day: “Hitler has bitten off more than he can chew!” And this is already apparent in the disorganised transport services in the Czech area.

(Rly. Publicity photo.)
One of a number of electric locomotives to be used on the Wellington-Paekakariki electrified section of the New Zealand Railways. The locomotives are of 1,240 horse-power, and weigh 87 tons.

Railways Carry on Quietly.

You can picture Home railwaymen, like their gallant colleagues in France, quietly and determinedly carrying on their own particular tasks, ever confident of the ultimate issue. Your correspondent saw much of the heroism of the French railway workers during the last struggle. To-day, in an even nobler cause, one and all on both sides of the Channel, determined that never again shall peaceful folk have to live in constant fear of ruthless aggression, are exerting themselves to the utmost. The struggle may be long, or it may be short. Whatever happens, Britain and the Empire stand as one, inflexible in their belief that Right must triumph over Might.