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The New Zealand Railways Magazine, Volume 6, Issue 5 (November 2, 1931)

Wellington New Goods Shed — Inspection By Wellington Chamber Of Commerce

Wellington New Goods Shed
Inspection By Wellington Chamber Of Commerce.

The splendid arrangements for dealing with goods traffic at Wellington, since the new goods shed was opened, made a marked impression on the business men who inspected the shed at the invitation of the General Manager, Mr. H. H. Sterling, on 5th October. More business for the Railways should result.

An official inspection of the Wellington new goods shed operations and facilities was made on the 5th October by representatives of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce. In a speech of welcome the General Manager of Railways, Mr. H. H. Sterling, expressed his pleasure that representatives of commerce and industry in the Capital City were with them for the purpose of inspecting the handling of goods and the new facilities which the Railways were now able to offer business people for the despatch of their goods.

He said that the matter of erecting a new central goods shed at Wellington had been on the cards for a great number of years. There had, however, been peculiar historical circumstances attaching to the terminal in that, until early in the present century, there had been two different railway organisations operating Wellington goods traffic, namely, the Government and the Manawatu Railways. When the Manawatu Railway was taken over by the Government the facilities of the two stations were incorporated, but the arrangement was not exactly satisfactory, as two sheds, some distance apart, had to be worked for the same city, and the position had become worse, because, with the growth of business, the facilities had been outgrown. Delay in providing a suitable central goods shed had been further occasioned by the land limitations which made action in this direction not possible until further reclamation of the harbour could be carried out, and this reclamation was a matter of some magnitude. However, the reclamation had been put in hand and had reached a stage where the Department was able to make a comprehensive rearrangement of the yard and shed accommodation, such as they now saw.

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Modern Goods-handling Facilities.

The operations of both outward and inward goods were now conducted under one roof. The shed was designed to enable handling to be done with the greatest despatch and saving of labour. They had automatic weighing machines overhead and run-about cranes, and ample platform, vehicle, and train-operating space. With the development of motor transport it
“We stand for service—service of the highest quality.”—Mr. H. H. Sterling. The General Manager of Railways, Mr. H. H. Sterling, addressing members of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce at the official inspection of the new goods shed.

“We stand for service—service of the highest quality.”—Mr. H. H. Sterling.
The General Manager of Railways, Mr. H. H. Sterling, addressing members of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce at the official inspection of the new goods shed.

Schierning, Acting Goods Agent, who arranged to show the party all the details of the operations.

Businessmen's tribute to Department's Enterprise.

After the party had re-assembled in the Goods Agent's offices, Mr. J. P. Luke, President of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce, on behalf of the Chamber, said that he was undesirable that vehicles serving the goods shed should be kept waiting about, and the arrangements made provided for through running by “one way” traffic.

He said that wherever it had been possible to obtain in New Zealand the materials for the construction of the new shed, this had been done.

After giving detailed particulars of the capacity of the new goods shed, Mr. Sterling concluded by remarking upon the very great pleasure it gave him to have representatives of the Chamber of Commerce there, because he wanted the public to know of the modern facilities which the Department now provided for their service. He then introduced to the company Mr. J. C. Schneider, Acting District Traffic Manager, and Mr. W. wished to express to Mr. Sterling his very great thanks for the hospitality of the Department and for the very interesting inspection they had made. He said that the citizens of Wellington, and in fact of the rest of New Zealand, understood the importance of Wellington as a port, and that the facilities for dealing with the growing business must be kept up-to-date. It was evident from what they had seen that the Railway Department was quite alive to the possibilities of improved railway facilities further extending their business. From what he had seen he was satisfied that in the handling of both outward and inward goods the new shed was right up-to-date, every provision having been made to reduce the cost of handling—a circumstance that was page 21 appreciated by business men. He expressed the appreciation of the commercial community in the facilities provided for more intensive handling. He understood that the time for the transport of goods would be appreciably reduced, and he was interested to know that the facilities for rapid despatch had been so speeded up that goods delivered at 6 p.m. would be in Hastings by noon next day, or in Auckland within twenty-four hours.

They had also been interested in the new carriages they had seen, and which were being introduced on the “Limited” express after having been provided for the Rotorua and South Island main line services. He congratulated Mr. Sterling on providing carriages of such a type to meet the changed conditions produced by road competition.

In acknowledging Mr. Luke's remarks, Mr. Sterling said:

“We stand for service—service of the highest quality at the lowest possible cost. Our facilities exceed those provided by any other method of transport, and I should like you to know as business men, and also as people of the Dominion, that the cars to which Mr. Luke has referred were designed entirely by our own officers, and constructed entirely in our own workshops by our own workmen.

Wellington's Up-To-Date Goods Terminal Members of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce inspecting the equipment at the new goods shed, Wellington.

Wellington's Up-To-Date Goods Terminal
Members of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce inspecting the equipment at the new goods shed, Wellington.

“Taking into consideration the price charged for the service given by these trains in relation to the cost of transport, I don't think that what we now provide is exceeded anywhere in the world.”

A Tribute To The Magazine.

It was a forward movement on the part of the Railway Department to issue a Magazine dealing with railways throughout the world, but primarily for the purpose of bringing under the notice of the general public the facilities offered by the Dominion system, and the innumerable historic and scenic places that, through the operation of the system were, as it were, brought within the orbit of every unit of the population. From the outset the Magazine has been ably controlled; the scope of the interests dealt with has been wide; the articles have been illuminative and informative to a degree; the choice of matter and the handling of the material left absolutely nothing to be desired, and all associated with the preparation and publication of the magazine are deserving of very hearty congratulations. The June-July number, now to hand, is worthy of its predecessors, all of which were issues of sterling excellence. Naturally the current issue deals with the new Board which is a matter of national interest, and the photographs of the appointees and their biographical sketches will not be without interest to citizens throughout the Dominion. As usual, the illustrations are not only judiciously chosen, but excellently produced whilst the printing, and indeed everything in connection with the Magazine, is of the highest class of workmanship.—From the Timaru Post.

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“Where children are, there is the golden age.”—Novalis. Our Children's Gallery.—(1) James and Dawn Bryson (Woodville); (2) Velma Perfect (Levin); (3) Margaret Campbell (Woodville); (4) Baby Herbert (Palmerston North): (5) Alicer Laredo (Waipara); (6) Donald Frank (Wanganui); (7) Ann Catherine Hickey (Waipahi Junction; (8) Peter Wischnowsky (Lower Hutt); (9) Maurice Frank (Wanganui); (10) Keith Bowman (Waikanae, winner of the first prize as “Safety First” at children's fancy dress ball at Waikanae); (11) Eric and Harold Goodall (Hastings); (12) Sydney and Douglas Frass (Lyttelton); (13) Leslie and Alma Nelson (Whangarei).

“Where children are, there is the golden age.”—Novalis.
Our Children's Gallery.—(1) James and Dawn Bryson (Woodville); (2) Velma Perfect (Levin); (3) Margaret Campbell (Woodville); (4) Baby Herbert (Palmerston North): (5) Alicer Laredo (Waipara); (6) Donald Frank (Wanganui); (7) Ann Catherine Hickey (Waipahi Junction; (8) Peter Wischnowsky (Lower Hutt); (9) Maurice Frank (Wanganui); (10) Keith Bowman (Waikanae, winner of the first prize as “Safety First” at children's fancy dress ball at Waikanae); (11) Eric and Harold Goodall (Hastings); (12) Sydney and Douglas Frass (Lyttelton); (13) Leslie and Alma Nelson (Whangarei).

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Publicity Work Of The New Zealand Railways. Some Recent Posters. Places to visit, train and fare announcements, advantages of train travel, and phases of staff education are all dealt with in coloured poster work by the New Zealand Railways Publicity Department.

Publicity Work Of The New Zealand Railways. Some Recent Posters.
Places to visit, train and fare announcements, advantages of train travel, and phases of staff education are all dealt with in coloured poster work by the New Zealand Railways Publicity Department.

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(Rly. Publicity photo.) A glimpse of Lake Omapere in New Zealand's Far North.

(Rly. Publicity photo.)
A glimpse of Lake Omapere in New Zealand's Far North.