39
saxious to increase the speed and he urged that now
sleepers should be immediately ordered, since he could
not allow any increase of ayeed owing to the poor state
the track.
the 22nd January last ær
Stratton wrote
again reminding the Managing Director that he had
new heard nothing further in regard to the supply of AOW
sleepers and that he would have to reduce the speed
from 30 miles to 20 miles an hour which would have
disastrous effects on the through traffic receipts.
He also pointed out that, since the two bridges had
boon temporarily repaired, the receipts had risen to approximately $8,000 a day and that if less time could
be taken between the two terminals, the traffic should
be increased by fifty per cont.
The next letter from Mr
Stratton was on tì
4th April last when he stated that, as no sleepers had
been received, the speed must come down to twenty miles
an hour. He stated that passengers would prefer to
travel by steamer and that it would be a great pity.
as all the money apent in renovating their stock would
be of no avail. He insisted that, if sleepers were
obtained immediately, the speed could be ingreased.
5th April Amat
7. In another letter dated
the Managing Director, Mr. Stratton dealt anyacially with the kind of sleepers required and he urged that Australian hardwoods were the best, wince they lasted
five times as long as
ruen or kæmput
ordered