TRANSPORT

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXI, 6 August 1928, Page 7

TRANSPORT

“IN A STATE OF FLUX’’ Transportation, said Mr H. H. Sterling, General Manager of Railways at Dunedin last week, was ip a state of flux all over the world. It was just the same when the railways were ousting the stage coach. People then asked what was this vile thing ? He believed, hojvever, that the had made Great Britain, -and- lie believed also that they would make New Zealand. There were many difficulties to be faced, and the great trouble was to get tfiose difficulties clearly stated. As he had- said, transportation was in a. state of flux, and they had many new factors introduced. There was a higher demand for an improved transport service that was previously not thought of. Mr Sterling went on to say that it w,as their duty to give service, and satisfactory transport facilities at, the lowest possible Cost. That was making the railways pay. The problem was the job of the community, and' co-operation was needed. He, as General Manager, had to co-operate internally with his staff, and the \ staff had to 'co-operate externally with its customers. The solution lay in a more adequate understanding on which the railwaymen acted. He hoped to achieve that. He brought no talisman there to say the problem was solved, but. lie was just there to discuss a problem that was interesting and vital to importers, who essentially were patrons of transport. Importers, in fact, were absolutely dependent upon transport. They found raw material everywhere, brought it to- New Zealand, and turned it into a marketable commodity. Thus transport was to-day the keystone of industrial life, and it must he admitted that the railways had done valuable service in this way.