Rail-Road Ferry Charges

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29746, 13 February 1962, Page 12

Rail-Road Ferry Charges

The scale of charges an- i nounced for the Picton- < Wellington rail-road ferry I suggests that the Railways i Department is determined : to seize this opportunity to : revitalise its business. No- i one can be quite sure how . the rates will work out in practice. The South Island Motor Union believes they are too high. Our impression is that they have been well designed to strike the necessary balance between making the service attractive and making it profitable. Only experience will show what adjustments are necessary. Charges will generally be substantially lower than on the old Picton steamer service. That is not surprising, since the Aramoana has been specially designed for modem conditions. With its versatility and capacity, the ship should be an economic venture, provided that operating efficiency is as high as it should be after “ teething" troubles have been overcome. The scale of rates also suggests that the department does not intend to use its administrative position to squeeze road transport off the ferry. That is important, because one of the great advantages of such a service is that goods can be delivered from producer to retailer with a minimum of handling. The arrival of the Aramoana later this year should influence the development of Nelson and Marlborough profoundly, and the development of the whole of the South Island in some

degree. Apart from ordinary commercial traffic, the ferry should greatly encourage tourist travel, particularly when the Haast Pass is open, and should make Nelson and Blenheim notable holiday centres. Many youngsters, for instance, will find the offer of bicycle transport for sixpence almost irresistible. No-one wdll welcome the Aramoana more than the Railways Department, which has dreamt for 50 years of surmounting the barrier of Cook Strait As long ago as 1924 the Fay-Raven commission looked forward to the eventual establishment of a rail ferry. With a unified system covering the whole country, the department will be able to use its resources more efficiently to give its customers quicker and better service at lower cost. Sea freight is still usually the cheapest way of moving bulk cargoes, but the ferry will have its own advantages. It should, for example, make through rail almost as quick as rail-air freight at a third of the cost This is the opportunity the department has been looking for to help overcome the particular difficulties of railroading in New Zealand. While the ship’s earnings should improve the departmental balance sheet much more significant is its potentiality to create new business. Initiative and bold planning are now called for 'in the department. It can i prosper by making its own facilities attractive rather ' than by artificially restrict- ! ing its competitors.