Page:Fred Arthur McKenzie - British Railways and the War (1917).djvu/35

 Wales, and Scotland were divided out into twenty areas, and each area had to take its supplies from certain fixed districts of production. It was estimated that the plan would effect a saving in railway transport of not less than 700 million ton miles annually. The scheme was based on four main issues:—

(1) That consumption of coal should take place as near the producing point as possible;

(2) That in view of the superior facilities offered by the main traffic lines the movement of traffic should follow these routes wherever possible;

(3) That the movement of coal should, as far as possible, be in well-defined directions—north to south, north to south-east, north to south-west, east to west;

(4) That an area producing less coal than suffices for its own need should not send any portion of its output to other areas. That an area producing more coal than it requires for consumption within the area itself should only distribute to adjacent or convenient areas.

This scheme did not affect water-borne coal, anthracite, or coke of any description.

It was the precursor of other schemes which were to reduce unnecessary traffic in goods to the minimum.

No description of the work of the British railways in the war would be complete without some reference to the service in handling the wounded.