NEW RAILWAY POLICY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18887, 9 December 1924, Page 8

NEW RAILWAY POLICY.

OUT TO GET BUSINESS. .

SPEEDING -UP SERVICES.

FREE CARRIAGE DISCONTINUED.

[BY telegraph.—OWX CO hp. ox dent. ] " ' CHRISTCHURCH. Monday. This is the age of speed, and if the railways are 'to get back . the ' passenger traffic that has been drifting away from them, faster trains aro essential," stated the Hon. J. G. Coates to-day. . The Minister intimated that . a thorough overhaul of the time-table was contemplated with a view to speeding up - the services. 'He also had under' consideration other proposals which he was not yet ready to make public.

The Minister expressed the opinion that a great deal of the traffic could be brought back to the railways if faster trains were provided, and with that object in view he was looking into the question very closely. Until he received the report of the Railway Commission, however, he was not prepared to enter into details regarding the proposals he had in mind.

Regarding the Christchurch-Dunedin service, Mr. Coates said he did not think it could be speeded up very much, but nevertheless he was looking into the matter. He had not yet considered the question of running a limited between Christchurch and Dunedin. similar "to the one decided on between Wellington and Auckland.

In reply to another question, Mr. Coates stated that nothing was carried free on the railways. Under, the present arrangements there was no such thing as free carriage of lime or free carriage of school children. Since April 1 all services of this kind had been charged to the Government departments concerned, lime being charged to the Department of .Agriculture, school children to the Education Department, and so on.

The present . and future policy of the Railway Department, according to the Minister, is to run the railways as a business concern on business. lines, and instead of waiting for goods and passengers to come along, to get out after them. He indicated that only the fringe had yet been touched as regards the new policy.