TRANSPORT RIVALRY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19517, 22 December 1926, Page 13

TRANSPORT RIVALRY.

ROAD VERSUS' RAIL. A WORLD-WIDE PROBLEM. [BX TELECBAPK. —OWN CORRESPONDENT. ] WELLINGTON, luesdny; The problem of road versus ml :«*» world-wide, and most countries, were endeavouring to find ii isolution, said Mi'F. C. Widiop, chief engineer •of Hut Railway Department,, who returned yestavday after a ten months' toujf of tho world. In Eugland the railway companies, being privately owned, had no power to ran motors,, bat they were able to compete with thei charabanc by mtirr.njs long-distance trains at cheap ifares,. thus attracting large numbers of piuisang&rs.America was. faced with the isam# trouble. la fact, in Nome p'ace#, particularly oa the West Coast, where tho roads were splendid I'or motor transport, the bus companies had chains of hotels along the main routes?. Long-distance runs by rail, however,, were not affected to any great extent by motor traffic, Switzerland, Germany and cither countries were experiencing; the samo trouble, continued Mr, Widdbp, and in isome cwses motor units were being ran by th« railways in conjunction with the railway services in an endeavour to hold this traffic. Each, country was alive. to. the seriousness of the position created, by bus competition, and was trying to solvo the difficulty, having regard to local conditions. Mr. Widdop was much impmssed with the efficiency of f—c; London omnibus services, and observed that, the bus' had fiacetna such an important transport unit that Hi was a question whether any more trams should he permitted to run in the more thickly-populated towns. In Glasgow the motor-buses had practically rat the trams out, and the latter were being - run at a loss.