RAILWAY BUSES.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 251, 22 October 1926, Page 9

RAILWAY BUSES.

RIVAL CONCERNS' POSITION.

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE.

NO NEED FOR LEGISLATION.

It is the opinion of the Railway Department that there is no need for legislation to prevent future competition from rival firms when negotiations for the purchase of competing bus enterprises have been completed. The question was how a renewal of competition, after the purchase of any one concern, could be guarded against.

When inquiries were made it was stated by officers of the Railway Department that in several instances bus proprietors had already felt the effect of measures taken by the Department to recover lost business, and once their enterprises were taken over it was not anticipated that any fresh concern would be anxious to come along and compete with the bus services which the Department would itself maintain after buying out the private enterprises.

The Government, it was explained, by the financial resources it would command, was in a position to be able to combat competition in a most vigorous manner if need be, but it was not the desire to cause hardship and financial loss to bus competition at present operating. The Government was therefore ready to negotiate in a reasonable manner for the acquisition of opposing businesses. If, however, it became necessary to do so, the precedent of the Motor Omnibus Traffic Act in regard to the protection of tramway services could be followed, but for the present, at any rate, it was not anticipated that Parliament would have to be asked to pass similar legislation in respect to safeguarding the railway from the effects of bus competition. In acquiring the plant of competing bus Interests, it was recognised by the Department, however, that it would have to maintain equally as efficient, if not better services than the private concerns had done if the requirements of the travelling public were to be reasonably and satisfactorily catered for. As a transport medium, the Railway Department was out to give quick and efficient service, whether by train or motor.

So far as the experiments with the rail motors are concerned, it was stated that the Clayton machine running on the Kurow line was continuing to do good work, and the trials of the Sentinel engine between Thames and Frankton had exceeded expectations in results. The Sentinel had not been a success when running between Wellington and Hutt, because the demands placed upon it by the traffic requirements of that line were very exacting, but between Frankton and Thames it had done very well so far, and was a means of enabling Thames people, by connecting with the night Limited at Frankton to get to Auckland and back in one day. Rail motors, it was recognised, might do very well in some districts, but would be of no use in other places where the circumstances were totally different. Experiments would continue to be made with rail motors, and the results of the tests in other countries noted and applied where desirable, so that the Department might be 'in a position to fulfil adequately the demands of the public for speedy and reliable service.