Fine Highways For A Nation Of Many Motorists

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 65, 9 December 1938, Page 24 (Supplement)

Fine Highways For A Nation Of Many Motorists

BY road, rail and sea New Zealanders can travel from end to end of their lovely country with ease and comfort, rapidity and cheapness, beyond the imagination of the pioneers of yesterday. Of these three branches of travel, beyond doubt the greatest development has been in road transport. In a mere year or two, with the evolution of the motor, the highways of the Dominion have been made as fine and durable and enduring as the ancient Roman roads. To-day, New Zealand has 75,000 miles of roads. Of these, 50.000 miles are formed roads, mostly metalled or paved. The past three years have seen tremendous improvements. .Millions of public money, hundreds of labourers, have been concentrated on the development of the roads. As a result, no country of so small a population has so many motor-vehicles, or such marvellous highways on which to drive them. There are 250.000 motor-vehicles registered, of which private cars number 150,000, lorries 45.000, and motor-cycles 24.000. There is one vehicle to every six persons. Commercially, road transport plays a greater part yearly in the development of the country. Road transport services feed and implement the State railways. Bus services carry tourists and passengers on every highway throughout the country. Control of roads, bridges, and transport generally is under the supervision of the Minister of Public Works. Outside cities, boroughs and independent town districts, road maintenance is handled by county councils and road boards. In 1922, however, the Main Highways Act brought the principal thoroughfares of both islands, some 12.000 miles to-day, under national control administered by a Main Highways Board under the Minister. These roads have been greatly modernised by elimination of sharp bends, dangerous corners. Road-users contribute largely to the cost of road development and maintenance, through various forms of taxes imposed on road users. Petrol-tax, tire-tax, car and drivers’ licences, heavy-traffic fees, and so forth, provide approximately 30 per cent, of the upkeep of the roads, which cost the Government upward of £7, 000,000 yearly.

New Zealand has also to-day 3300 miles of narrowgauge State railways. They are almost equally distributed through both islands. The rolling-stock comprises 580 locomotives, 1500 passenger coaches, and 27,500 freight wagons. In 1936, 20,500,000 passengers, 6.000,000 tons of freight or livestock were carried. In addition, 3.242.500 passengers travelled on the Railway Department's road services and 28.300 passengers, 8000 tons of freight, on the Railways steamer service on Lake Wakatipu. Important developments in recent years are the extension of the East Coast railway line to Gisborne, and of the South Island Main Trunk to Blenheim, both works being still in progress. Construction of the new Wellington Railway Station, and of the Tawa Flat deviation, electrification of Wellington suburban lines, introduction of rail-cars and multiple-unit electric trains, have helped modernise stirburban services of the capital city, Electric tramways, important in handling city traffic in all main centres, are controlled by local authorities. Auckland. New Plymouth, Wanganui, Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin and Invercargill, are so served. Napier ceased to operate after the great earthquake of 1931. Gisborne closed its service in 1929. There are altogether 271 miles of lines—most services operate purely in the immediate vicinity of the city concerned—-and 741 cars. They carry approximately 132,000,000 passengers a year. Steamer services in the Dominion are efficient

and up-to-date. Ihe two islands are linked by three regular pasenger ferry routes, between Lyttelton and Wellington. Nelson and 'Wellington, and Picton and Wellington. The principal services are carried out with smart and seaworthy modern vessels. There is also a brisk coastal freight traffic, handled by small motor-ships and scows. Intermittent coastal passenger facilities are offered by intercolonial or islands vessels which make calls at more than one Dominion port.