PROBLEMS OF TRANSPORT

Press, Volume LXXI, Issue 21533, 24 July 1935, Page 10

PROBLEMS OF TRANSPORT

DOMINION CONDITIONS DISCUSSED ADDKESS BY ENGINEER Transport problems as they affected New Zealand were discussed by Mr G. A. K. Simmers, A.M.1.C.E., assistant railways engineer, in an address to the Institute of Public Administration last evening. Mr Simmers described the geographical and other conditions which were peculiar to New Zealand, and analysed the special claims of air, sea, road and rail transport. The natural conditions affecting transport in New Zealand differed from those obtaining in other countries, said Mr Simmers. The popu-. lation was distributed, through the influence of geographical features, about four main centres. The division of the country into the two iSiands gave a north and south separation, while particularly in the South Island, and to a less degree in the North the roughness of the interior gave an east and west division also. A peculiar feature was that except at Palmerston North and Hamilton, there was a seaport of some kind for each main centre.

i A very great deal of the trans- [ port was seasonal. The haulage I period for wheat and wool was very | short, while that for stock and also meat, though longer, was fairly sharply defined. The amount of transport needed for the dairy industry was small in proportion to the amount of work put into it. Of general goods coal and timber were the main items, and a large part of the coal haulage also fell into a definite period. Although much of the traffic in genera) merchandise was "criss-cross" and not definitely routed, the agricultural traific—the major tonnage—fell into certain definite r6utes. A result was that the equipment for transport had to be suitable for the special conditions, and facilities had to be available in the quantities and at the places and times demanded for each class of hauiage. Air. Sea and Eoad Limits In spite of the prominence recently given to developing air transport in New Zealand, it seemed unlikely that it could ever become a general service like the railways, road transport or shipping. The chief use for air transport appeared to be in the direction of passenger carriage, rush goods service, smd in overcoming geographical barriers.

Sea transport was essential in New Zealand because there were parts of the country which could be reached effectively only by sea, and ports were essential to overseas trade. The difficulty about sea transport was that the terminal plant—the harbours—was expensive. Some ports could very readily be uneconomical when the cost of this plant was considered.

For road transport limits were set by effective loads, which were determined by the strength of the road surface. The thickness of the road crust determined what could be carried in wheel load. It had been ruled that a six-ton lorry with a four-ton load was the maximum for New Zealand roads. The modern motor-lorry of its own nature had no limitations of distance or direction, but beyond this there were three main effective limitations—legal, staff, and organisation, and cost. Under a rationalised system independent firms could not deal economically with more than local traffic, special trips and long distance carriage over specified routes. The cost of road services on the same basis as rail services for national carriage had been worked out at three times the cost of railway services to do the same work. The Railway System With a railway service there was no flexibility of the lay-out, but there was flexibility in loading and discharging. The main feature of a railway system was that the tracks were graded much easier,than roads, so that greater loads could be hauled at one time. Once a train of trucks was brought together the railwaywas the cheapest known method of moving goods. Experts claimed that the backbone of New Zealand transport must be the railways, and that the carriage of passengers or goods long distances or in large quantities could best be done by rail. In addition there was the argument of national self-sufficiency. The country should not depend for its transport on services which could not. derive their fuel from the country's own resources. Other factors to be considered were safety, reliability, comfort and convenience.