In Emergency.

Referring to the Hawke's Bay earthquake, the South African Railways and Harbours Magazine writes as follows:—

“Railways, the world over, hold a high reputation for their work in times of such emergency, and the railways of New Zealand, from full particulars just to hand, manfully upheld that reputation. It might well be argued that in such a pass the railways (particularly when they are State-owned) owe their complete assistance as a duty and not as a common charity. However that may be, it was more than mere duty that made New Zealand railwaymen rush relief trains to the afflicted area in record time and restore a regular service over the contorted ground in approximately forty-eight hours, thus hastening the evacuation of the refugees and the injured.

“Behind these achievements, we believe, there was something of the tradition that inspires railwaymen of every clime—a tradition which says that a break in the lines must be repaired with frantic speed, that their charges must be delivered safely in any circumstances, and that, no matter how great the personal sacrifice, or how gigantic the work involved, ‘the trains must run.’ The railwayman has to meet disaster with herculean efforts to effect recuperation; oft-times he has to come as near as it is humanly possible to the performance of miracles; and he seldom rests until he hears the sweet words, ‘normal running resumed.’”

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