TRANSPORT REGULATION

Greymouth Evening Star, 16 June 1930, Page 5

TRANSPORT REGULATION

MORE STATE CONTROL MINISTERIAL STATEMENT [PER PRESS ASSOCIATION.]' DUNEDIN, June 16. New Zealand, like other countries has had motor transport superimposed on the existing transport services, said Mr Taverner, Minister of Transport, during an interview on the transport co-ordination. There have been and will be, he said, resulting derangements in the economic ' equilibrium, and at the present ’ time, the arrangement of various services having a bearing on national welfare, is one of the outstanding economic problems of the day. In the United States, where motor transport has reached a higher pitch than anywhere else in the world, regulation by the State has been resorted, to as the best measure suitable to meet the situation. The Home Country is about to follow suit, while South Africa apparently sees in the regulations, a practical solution. The fundamental problem is the same in these countries as it is in New Zealand, with perhaps’ this difference, i: 'that in New Zealand we have a very much lower population per. mile of road and rail, and by virtue of our higher foreign trade per head of population, are more in need of highly organised transport facilities. With the experience of these other countries, and the result of investigations carried out by officers of the Transport Department as a guide, the time is ripe for legislation to enable a system of regulation, that has been carefully adapted to suit this country’s requirements, to be brought into existence.

RAILWAYS RETRENCHMENT. •DRASTIC CUTS REPORTED. [SPECIAL TO “STAR.”] AUCKLAND, June 16. The "Star’s” Wellington correspondent states that it is understood drastic cuts will bo made in the Dominion’s railway services, if the Railway Commission adopts the rccom mendations which it is believed will be made by the General Manager. . “Cuts” which may be proposed include the abolition of (1) WellingtonAuckland Daylight Limited express (2) Wellington-New Plymouth night express, (3) Christchurch-Invercargill night express. In addition it may be recommended that several branch line services be abolished, and that others be seriously curtailed. Some of the branch lines on which the economy axe may fall, are in the South Island.

MR STERLING RETICENT.

WELLINGTON, June 16.

Commenting on the rumoured heavy cuts in the Railway service, Mr H. H. Sterling, yesterday, said he had no announcement to make.

Probably the report of such cuts is rather discounted by Mr Sterling’s recent statement when he indicated that the results of running the Daylight Limited had been so satisfactory that the train would be continued. He said: “The experiment made in running the Daylight Limited expresses for longer periods' in order that the general passenger traffic by these trains, as distinct from holiday excursion traffic,, might have the opportunity to become established, is having the desired effect. These services now have steady business in passengers, .much of it, I believe, peing new or “induced” traffic.”