BUSINESS AND THE RAILWAYS

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 58, 12 March 1929, Page 10

BUSINESS AND THE RAILWAYS

(To the Editor.)

Sir,—ln so far as'-the-railways ar£ coir cerned the State is already in business, and the railway system is conferring many benefits upon those who ,live in places upon the line of rail. As the railways belong to the people surely the benefits derived by those living 011 the line of rail are not to be denied those masses of population who happen to live some miles distant from the railway. When . 'this' anomaly is rectified, then and only then can we truly call them "our" railways. Is it not the intention of the Government to extend its railway system per medium of Government motor transport from the main Hue of rail to boroughs and town districts with populations of over a thousand persons plus the vast rural population surrounding those boroughs and town districts, and thus-give the inhabitants the opportunity to make use of the railways in which they are co-partners at Government rates. The Government deserve . due credit for their policy of settling small farmers on the outskirts of these boroughs aud town districts, but surely the necessity of cheap transport is evident. Tha charge per mile by motor from many of these towns to the line of rail is excessive iv comparison with railway rates, but the other part of the journey, where the motors come into competition with the. railway, is more reasonable, making it .impractical to use the railway for the remaining portion of the journey, thus the motors get the through fares to and from Wellington and elsewhere, which are lost to the railway owing to the failure of that Department to supply feeders at Government rates. With the advent of the motor these way-back districts with perfect motor tracks willnot now ever see a railway, but that is not a reason why/the inhabitants should be subjected continuously to mileage charges in excess of those which our railway system makes possible to others, seeing that the extension of,the system requires but a nominal outlay upon a few motor lorries and buses. Surely the whole of the people are justly entitled to any benefits which.it is possible for our railway system to confer in the altered' conditions of the present time.—l am, etc., ' STILL HOPING.

12th March. \