RAILWAYS AND MOTORS.

Matamata Record, Volume XI, Issue 962, 11 October 1928, Page 4

RAILWAYS AND MOTORS.

COMMENTING upon the competition between railways and motors, and the recent Public Works Statement, we came to the conclusion that the first thing needed was more accurate -information, more data regarding transport costs by road. Perusing our exchanges, we observe that our contemporaries sound a similar note of warning. For instance, the Wellington Post states that development of road motor transport has been so rapid in New Zealand that business economy has not kept pace with ' it. o Now there is need for some readjustment.; but that is attended with many difficulties. It is harder to undo something which has been done wrongly than to be sure that the first course of action is right. As we see the position, said the Minister of Railways, we should gradually adjust transportation in New Zealand to meet the circumstances of the country, the road in its own place and the railway in its 7 place. That is a general statement, but immediately you attempt to work out the details and their effect on the community you get so many points of view and so many interested parties affected that you see the necessity for caution in every step, and the economic difficulties that will arise if the railways are pushed to the extent at which they will have to increase the cost per ton mile. This statement, taken in conjunc-

tion with the general manager’s remark, “ We find ourselves up against vested interests,” shows the stage at which the transport adjustment has arrived. The Government is able to show, by reference to ton mile costs, that the railways must be preserved, and it is able also to prove that if the high-grade traffic is lost the community as a whole must suffer, either by a steeply-rising railway loss or by heavier charges for such lines as fertilisers, coal and timber. But how are the railways to retain the proportion of high-grade traffic which is essential to a will-organised business? A private enterprise would have I no option but to resort to direct competition, by placing its own motors on the roads and by lowering rates. But the State enterprise, backed by the legislative power of Parliament, may avoid this necessity, which would be bound to result in some waste. At the same time the legislative power, though it may be used, must not be abused. Any attempt to push competitors out of business by regulations or to tax them out i would be resented by the public. As 1 every Government is more or less 1 sensitive to public opinion it is likely , to be very cautious in the adoption \ of such measures. Already we see i that the road traffic taxation is the 1 subject of strong protest. In the ] meantime the Government cannot l meet the demands for relief because i the levy is mainly made' by local c authorities, but this excuse 'will not J hold for long. If the heavy traffic *r

fees are unjustly burd°r.oome it will be necessary tj lighter \hem and to compensate the local authorities for the loss ci revenue. The present pressing need is of data enabling a decision to be made as to what is a fair and reasonable fee having regard to the road wear and road use of a vehicle. The claim is sometimes made that, because a heavy traffic vehicle cannot be run profitably, therefore the taxes are too high. That does not necessarily follow. It may be that classes of work are being attempted on the roads which are economically unsuitable. Until the engineers can give us some information upon which to base a calculation we cannot do more than guess whether heavy traffic is paying too much or too little for road use. We know that motor traffic in the past has escaped lightly (the rates making good the balance), but that jdoes not prove that the burden has been properly adjusted as between light and heavy vehicles.