A SMOOTH SETTLEMENT.

Auckland Star, Volume LVI, Issue 189, 12 August 1925, Page 6

A SMOOTH SETTLEMENT.

The Railway Department and its organised customers are to be congratulated on the rapidity and smoothness with which negotiations over the new tariff have been conducted. Some heat was engendered by the original coal schedules, but the spirit of sweet reasonableness came into play and a compromise was reached. Here, and in respect to other rates, the parties have been in the most friendly term?, and every opportunity seems to have been given to customers to express their opinions. That one Chamber of Commerce had eleven sub-committees and various trades at work on the new rates for a fortnight, shows that the business and industrial worlds have gone to a good deal of trouble to help the Department, which on its part has been complimented on its enterprise and accommodating spirit. It may be too much to say, as the Minister does, that "practically all users" of the railways agree that it should be placed on a commercial footing, but we are sure a majority of customers think so. The Minister is reaping the benefit of his courage and enterprise. Once the crust of habit is broken, the task of reform becomes much easier. Besides, as he realises, the public's objection to higher charges and is at least softened if they get better service. Moreover, the general attitude towards the railways is rather different from what it was in the halcyon times before the war. The facts of railway finance are more clearly seen by the public now than they were in those more free and easy days. One of these facts is that the" system last year was £90,000 short of the amount required to pay the policy interest rate of 3J per cent, which is not adequate. Also, it is estimated that in the current year additional revenue amounting to £0.30.000 will be required. It was high time the railway tariff was overhauled.