TANEATUA RAILWAY

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21248, 30 July 1932, Page 12

TANEATUA RAILWAY

Sir,—The attitude of the railways management over this business seems to mo to be as weak and senseless as it is possible to imagine. When any business is reduced to crying, "You must —or you ought todo business with us," does it not thereby confess its failure ? If a business is well conducted and rendering real service, peoplo will want to do business with it for their own advantage. To do business for any other reason is a condescension — almost an insult. Instead of alternately supplicating and bludgeoning its customers and knocking out its opponents by Acts of Parliament, the railway management should put its house in order. At long last it should recognise that it does not now possess a lazy, comfortable monopoly. To meet competition it must offer its customers a cheaper and a better service than its competitors. To effect this the first 'step should be to commit to the flames its absurd and archaic tariff, which is nothing but a compilation of the accumulated folly of fifty years. Entirely new regulations and charges should be substituted—vastly simplified and with the regulations based on the convenience of customers and the charges based on the value of the service rendered. There should be no difficulty in pushing other transport off the roads by proper competitive means. E. E.vrle Vaile.