MOTOR TRANSPORT HAS LIMITS

Evening Star, Issue 19588, 21 June 1927, Page 2

MOTOR TRANSPORT HAS LIMITS

BIG FIELD FOR RAILWAYS

[Pe* United Press Association.]

WELLINGTON, June 20. Speaking at the Railway Officers’ Institute social, Mr Mas'on, a member of cho Railways Board, said that from ‘ the point of view of members of the institute, the most important event ol tho year had been tho question ol tho reclassification of the first division, it had been a task of considerable magnitude, and he considered that ver; sound judgment had been exercised in arriving at its conclusions. Almost every railway station in the dominion i had been visited, and a vast amount I of information had been gathered. The i report had not yet been made public, ; but it was far better to have the work thoroughly done, even if that involved some delay. He considered the report an able one, and be was of the opinion that it would afford considerable satisfaction to the railway service generally —at least to the portion of tho service immediately concerned, i Referring to the increasing competition of motor traffic, Mr Mason said it was essential that every railway ol- ! fleer' should equip himself to meet the competition which the railways were now faced with, for there had been no stage in the history of the railways when they had had to meet such serious competition. Of course, that competition was not singular to the case of New Zealand. All railway concerns throughout the world wore grappling with the problem. Every officer in the service' should make up his mind to do all he could to assist the management, for the department required all the business if was possible to get. No service could flourish unless all its members devoted themselves wholeheartedly to its interests. Ho was glad to say that a very fine spirit permeated the service, a spirit which made for advancement, and for gaining and retaining the confidence of tho public. He thought, however, that that spirit could be still further developed. When they considered that there were about 18,000 employees in the railway service, it would be realised that the interests of the employees were bound up with the prosperity of the railways, and it behoved every officer to reabse that, not only had the public a right to expect efficiency, but such efficiency and the prosperity of tho railways were in the interests of each individual member of the service.

Mr Mouat, another memucr of the board, said there was no doubt that the increasing motor was serious, and indeed it raised a doubt as to whether all the members of the railway service were going to finish their careers as railway officers. The question often came into his mind: Has motor transportation come to take the place of the railways? If it had, then the railways, within a comparatively few years, would range themselves alongside the old stage coach and bullock team—that was if they accepted the view that motor transportation could render all the service that the railways could. But he did not think it could. He did not think motor transportation had shown that it could handle rush traffic in the way the railway’s could. It could not handle suburban and city traffic in centres like Auckland and Wellington without great disorganisation; nor could it take 10,000 people to and from agricultural shows or race meetings. Even if it could, it would not, lie thought, be able to take workers to and from their homes at a farthing per mile; nor could it distribute large quantities of coal daily over large distances, as was done in the North Island, at three farthings a mile. Therefore, in his opinion, motor traffic had not reached the stage by a long way when it could replace the railways, which would continue just as useful to the country as they were to day.