POINTS FROM THE REPORT.

Auckland Star, Volume LV, Issue 306, 26 December 1924, Page 8

POINTS FROM THE REPORT.

TOO MUCH CENTRALISATION. STORES SYSTEM UNSATISFACTORY. DINING CARS ON EXPRESSES. , Tbe higl.lv valuable . experts on New Zealand Ra.lwaJ s ; was generally favourable o ■ makes several important S "f or - an .- for improving the working and o ' isation The report which has now , been issued for publication bytte* 1 ister of Railways, is a volummou. docu 1 ment of nearly seventy printed fools cap pages. I The Commission recommend* a re*"*; tion in excursion fares and also sub urban fares, and suggests the "*eo* 3d second class for distances up tc three miles and grade fares beyond thatJlmH up to the standard per mile. it is »'*° 5 pLted out that it should be possiWe '■ to extend tourist and **<™" £*f e ! 1 very considerably by judicious «™ c •!ment and advertisement W hen excursions 'sions are advertised the recordshow ' that the public respond cs P e< f '" ■ the South Island. More frequent oppo£ ■ tunities should be given, with Iwter ' trains, not only to and from tourist ' centres, but also between one town and ' another. ' The experience of the past four years I has shown that there is no margin for 1 reduction of freight rates, unless by so ' doing more traffic can be secured. Any ! reduction, therefore, should be made ' with great care -and caution. 1 here • are some rates, particularly those applt- •■ cable to coal, which should be increased. ' For certain distances, when traffic is ' hauled over steep grades, tho freight charges secured at present involve a loss "which has to be made up by other • industries. > The conveyance of lime free over certain distances, whilst helping agriculture—'that is. if the farmer gets the advantage of it—is unfair to the Railway Department. We understand this is being remedied by arrangement with the Department of Agriculture. Department Apron-Strings. The general organisation of the Railway Department comes in for its share ,of criticism, and there is also serious i condemnation of the Stores Branch, which is described as "far from satisfactory." Our observations, state the Commissioners, have shown that there is need for a general tightening-up, both in the direction of more clearly defining the actual responsibilities of the chief officers and of reorganising the overhead administration so that it may better meet the peculiar needs of Xew Zealand. The Commission recommends the formation of a Railway Board (on the lines since adopted by the Minister). What Happens in the Stores. In the course of our tours of inspection we visited "the stores all over the system, and are compelled to say that they are by no means satisfactory. The stores held by the Comptroller of Stores are housed "in somewhat dilapidated .buildings, often most inconveniently arranged with regard to internal fixtures. Moreover, oils and other dangerous stores are not properly housed, and in many cases are mixed up with the general stores. Although buildings and equipment are faulty, there is no excuse for the general disorder such as we found existing, for example, at Greymouth. The stores held by tbe Engineering Branch are in better shape, but those under the Locomotive Branch are characterised by want of care and system. Valuable stores are lying about in shops and yards open to anyone. We found stores that had ibeen charged to this branch two years since still lying where they were delivered by the District Storekeeper. Deadly Level Crossings. The Commissioners agree that the great number of level crossings in the Dominion ere a danger—as all level crossings are—as well as hindrance to the movement of traffic. At main road* in the larger towns it i* desirable to obviate crossings by bridges or subways in the interest of public safety, but "it is not practicable to deal with tho numerous county roads in the same way. Where signal-boxes are near crossings the provision of electrically operated gates to be worked by signalmen would be a safeguard, although it would not get rid of the obstruction. We have examined the latest form of automatic swinging-light warning-device, which goes as far as possible, short of physical protection, in the direction of preventing the railway being crossed by road vehicles or pedestrians when trains are approaching. Bells are also provided at some of the crossings. Short of erecting gates and building gatehouses we do not see that more can be done to give warning at crossings. Automatic Signalling Approved. The signalling and safe-working appliances all over the line are up to modern standards, and are well maintained, reflecting credit on the Department. The policy of installing automatic signalling is, in our opinion, a sound one, in view of the greatly increased facilities afforded to train operation, the relatively high wages, and rha cightrour day There are, however, long lengths of line without either tablet or automatic safety devices. In the event of a train getting out of course and running late, the practice is to give instructions by telegraph or telephone to the stationmasters concerned, to stop the train running late at a station other than that provided for as a crossing-place, and to send the other train on. This method of working, even if all possible precautions arc taken, is a fortuitous one. Motor Competition. Members of the staff, who were questioned as to any remedy they could suggest for recovering traffic 'lost to the motor car, were of the opinion that nothing could be done without running unremunerative trains. Tbey were apparently of the opinion that a single additional train cost 12/ per mile to run. They had evidently taken this idea from the yearly Railway Report as tbey also took the loss upon certain lines and deprecated the running of better services upon those lines for that reason. The running of mixed trains is, from one aspect—viz., that of avoiding the coat, of separate trains for passengers and goods—an economical arrangement but, apart from the tedium of travel' lnfltcted upon the public, there is without doubt, a disadvantage by shunting haying to be performed where every trains has goods wagons on it. Without doubt the Railway Department could, by establishing a well-or-ganised fleet of road motor vehicles secure practially all the traffic to the rail, the alternativ being a combination on mutually advantageous terms between the motor owners and the Railway Department. \\> ar<? dis!>os(ld to recommend the latter course, at any rate, as a £n*Jt _ '