EVOLUTION OF TRANSPORT

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LVI, 16 July 1925, Page 4

EVOLUTION OF TRANSPORT

INTEJR KST ixo INFORMATION

In his introductory remarks when addressing the Nelson Chamber of Commerce last evening on railway matters, Mr (J. T. Wilson, of the Commercial Branch of The Railway Department, gave some interesting information concerning the evolution of transport. The mode of transport, he said, lias been one of extreme importance right through the ages. First we read of sledges and no roads, then the twowheeled chariots of Roman times and the improvement of the reads from primitive tracks. Roadmaking did not make much progress in Britain until the 14th century, when in England a system of tolls was introduced. In 1663 a stage coach system was introduced. The innovation was not welcomed. The coaches were described as hell carts and likely to cause injury to the public, and there was a demand that they should be prohibited. The speed was thought to he excessive and travellers were seriously warned of the ill effects likely to result from rushing through the air at such a speed. Road construction did not make important strides until John Metcalfe appeared on the scene in 1717. Curiously, too, Metcalfe was blind, yet it was due to him that road making was revolutionised. Previous to .Metcalfe’s activities engineers considered road making beneath their dignity hut then there sprung up a crop of them, the best road being macadam. Later the thoughts of investors turned to the utilisation of steam, and in 1815 George Stephenson’s locomotive commenced to run success fully. This engine contained practically all the essentials of the modern locomotive. From that time railway traction began to gradually supersede horse traction and now the figiht is on between steam traction and motor trac tion. It is, however, the decided opinion of those who had made a study of the question, that rail transport was never likely to be superseded.