ROAD SERVICES

Northern Advocate, 18 July 1933, Page 6

ROAD SERVICES

THE RUSSELL RUN CURTAILMENT SOUGHT. RAILWAY APPEAL. REFUSED BY BOARD. The case before the Transport Appeal Board this morning was the New Zealand Government Railways Board’s appeal against the No. 1 Transport Licensing Authority’s decision to grant a license to the Northern Motor Bus Company to run a service from Whangarei to Russell. Mr Justice Frazer and Messrs L. Alderton and T. Jordan were on the bench. Mr F. Aiekin appeared for the Railways’ Board and Mr L. A. Johnson for respondents. The decision of the Licensing Authority was that the company should run a daily service from November 3 to May 30, and on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from June 1 to October 31. The Railways Department sought to have the timetable modified to a three-day service all the year round. Mr Aiekin said Russell was at present served by the railway per medium of the daily Opua-Anckland and Auekland-Opua expresses, connecting with the launch to Russell. The running times of both services were about the same. The motor fares were 32/ single and 2'o/ return, and the rail and launch were: First class, 9/2 single and 16/3 return; second class, 6/10 and 11/11. Tourist Traffic. Counsel said that although tlie train and car services did not follow the same route, the train catered for the tourist resort at Russell and looked to gain a good deal of traffic there in tho summer pefiods. If the department did not obtain a good deal of tourist traffic the train services to Kawakawa and Kaikohe would be to some extent endangered. It could be thought that the road service should, end at Whangaruru, Mr Aiekin said, but the department recognised that there might be some who wanted to go by car—if the roads stayed as they wore, the people would probably want to return by train—and so had proposed a three days a week service.

Mr Aickin claimed that when the roads improved the road service would present a strong competition for the peak loads, which would make the train service uneconomic. “This is one of the evils the Act was framed to suppress,” he concluded.

In running a three-day service in the winter and a daily one in the summer, we are following the ethics of the railways which only ran a service on alternate days during the slack period last year,” said Mr. Johnson. Mr. Aielcin: “Wo are running a daily service now.” The train, continued counsel, could only take all passengers offering for Russell, and not of the whole route. Eespondent company started the service when the road opened, and after 12 months there were three services operating, but the other two had been eliminated. Counsel then went on to state that for the first 34 miles the road service ran parallel to, but not in competition with, the railway. The route then left the railway abruptly and, after reaching Helena Bay, followed the coast over the watershed and on to Eussell.

Serving Settlers. For 40 miles of the route the road still served a number of farms and farmers, and from the scenic reserve to Russell there were also a large number of settlers. The only outlet for these people unless they had private cars was the service run. The service carried -a large number of parcels, consisting of meat and bread and provisions, and an extraordinary amount of medicine. The service fed the railway at Whangaroi, and worked in co-operation with the Government Tourist Department. There was a big scenic asset on the route, not only up the coastline but also through the scenic reserve.

In the winter time, with the threeday service, the company could just cope with the traffic. If there were too many passengers the company put on a reserve vehicle, which had to run one way empty. This would, often happen it there was a restricted summer service,, and he claimed it was not a fair thing to force any company to use its ; reserve vehicle to run one way empty.

“The Railway Department is trying to capture more of the tourist traffic, which it is their duty to do, but if they succeed they will be restricting travellers to the most dreary journey anyone could provide anywhere in the world,” said Mr, Johnson. Counsel said the railways was providing a service to Opua only, and was then served by private launches. The position was really that the respondent company was in competition with the launches, and both served the railway. The service could not be run economically with a restricted summer timetable. Last summer the service carried 4.25 passengers each way during the peak period, and even then a reserve car had to be put on, causing a loss to the company. He considered it unfair that the company should be asked to run a six-day service on a three-day timetable. As far as fares were concerned, the railways bad a

tremendous advantage over respondent company. During the summer period there were numerous camps all along the route and they were served by the servied car, and the campers had to depend on it for their supplies. Evidence Called. Stewart Partridge, the driver of the car, said very few of the passengers went right through to Russell, and most of the traffic was from intermediate passengers. During the summer there were more through passengers, but not a great many. Arthur Wilkinson, the traffic manager of respondent company, said that under the three-day a week trip, as at present, they could just cope with the traffic.

“Until the road was through we were practically isolated,” said William Baker, of Russell. “But since the road has been put through we have felt the benefit of the service tremendously. -The settlers do not see how they could do without the service and the more regular the run is in the summer the better.” His Honour: “How did the settlers manage before the road was put through?”

Witness: “They had to ride in on pack horses.” “If I were coming to Whaugarei I would never travel by trqiin, cheaper though the is. It is the worst journey it is possible to imagine,” continued witness. “Numbers of complaints are made about the slowness of the train,” Mr, Aickin: “When was the last complaint made?” —“We hear them all the time.” Mr. Aickin: “But when was a complaint made to the department?” —“I do not know.”

“Have you ever stayed at boarding houses,”—“Yes.” “You have hoard people complaining about the food? When they get together like that they always complain.” Mr. Alderton; “But, Mr. Aickin, you can easily go to another boarding house, but you can’t get another train,”

The chairman of the County Council, Mr. L. Webb, said only about a quarter of the settlers on the route had private cars, and even those who did often used the service car. Mr. Aickin claimed that while Mr. Johnson might have established a claim for the granting of a goods service license, he had not established it in regard to passengers. Appeal Dismissed. A “We have looked through the way bills,’’ said His Honour, in announcing the board’s decision, “and find, as the representatives of the company claim, that the statement made to the effect that the greater number of passengers are intermediate is correct. Certainly in the summer the ratio of through passengers is larger than in the winter, but, taking the whole year round, the service does provide a means of egress and ingress for a large number of intermediate passengers who have no other service at all.

There is the necessity for a daily service during the summer months partly on account of the increased parcels traffic and • partly because of the larger number of tourists. It has to be’ remembered that the road does not parallel the railway except for about lii or 14 miles. There is a scenic reserve on the road, and it seems unreasonable to deprive tourists from having the opportunity of seeing that. The service, as a whole, is largely one for residents on the road, and we do not think it reasonable to cut it down during the summer months. We do not think it should seriously prejudice the railway service, which in any event, is fairly well protected by the margin between its fares and those fixed by the Licensing Authority for the car service.” The appeal was dismissed, the respondent company being awarded £.l costs.