AUCKLAND TRANSPORT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19807, 30 November 1927, Page 10

AUCKLAND TRANSPORT.

The agreement reached by th< Government and the Auckland Cit.v Council will be endorsed by all reasonable people as a thoroughly sound, and, indeed, the only practical, means of arriving at a permanent solution of the transport problems that have arisen in the Auckland metropolitan area. The relations between the city and the independent suburbs and the reactions of various forms of transport upon the municipal undertaking have fallen into such confusion that reference to some external authority has become imperative. The proposed inquiry is to be thoroughly compre hensive : particularly, it is to devote attention to the factor of railway transport, a material consideration in view of the competition of bus services with passenger trains and the bearing on tramway extension proposals of plans for improving sub urban railway services. There may be some difficulty in constituting a commission with the necessary qualifications for the inquiry, including impartiality toward the controversial issues, and it is for this reason that the council has suggested that one or two of its members should be sought

outside the Dominion. An investigation of the wide scope contemplated will take several months; it would bo unreasonable to expect the City Council to maintain the existing services until its findings have been delivered. That has been recognised in the Prime Minister's announcement. The council will defer any plans of curtailment until the suburban authorities have had reasonable time to consider a proposal that they should decide what services are required by their districts, and undertake to guarantee a gross return in exact proportion to the facilities provided.' The council offers to run bus services at Is 6d a mile, which is rather more than enough to cover working expenses, but leaves about Ud a mile of capital charges to be defrayed by the city. Tho arrangement proposed obviously contemplates "through" services, as there is a provision that the penal fare is to operate to prevent competition with the tramways. Some districts outside the city have made immoderate demands for transport, without offering to share the financial responsibility. The council's proposal is a direct invitation to them to endorse their estimates of the needs of their residents and of tho economy of motor transport bv guarantees of a minimum revenue from fares to be fixed by themselves.