THIS AGE OF SPEED

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22719, 4 November 1935, Page 10

THIS AGE OF SPEED

COMPETITION WITH RAILWAYS ROAD AND AIR SERVICES (Special to Daily Times) AUCKLAND, November 3. A visit to England, the Continent, Canada and the United States of America for the purpose of investigating the thermit process of welding rail joints, Diesel and electric locomotives, the air conditioning of carriages, rail-motor service developments, and road transport improvements on behalf of the New South Wales Government lias just been completed by Mr Thomas J. Hartigan, Commissioner of Railways for New South Wales, who is a passenger on the Lurline on his way home to Sydney. When interviewed in Auckland on Saturday the visitor said he had gained much valuable information on these subjects, but he would not be able to divulge it until he had made his report to the New South Wales Government. Mr Hartigan said he had travelled on some of the fastest trains, in the world during liis tour, including the “Hamburg flier,” which reached a speed of 100 miles an hour in its run from Hamburg to Berlin, a French light steel train capable of a speed x>f between 87 and 90 miles an hour, and on the “Zephyr” and “Hiawatha” in the United States. In all these trains, stream-lining and the latest mechanical improvements had been incorporated. “In America the railways are menaced very seriously by the road motor and by air services,” continued Mr Hartigan. There it \yas common to see streams of motor lorries, each having two trailers, on the highways. The American railway companies were making a great effort to meet both road and air competition by speeding up the trains and by cutting freight rates and passenger fares. They were also making improvements in their passenger accommodation, but it was doubtful how long they could keep up all this. To-day they were in a very serious financial position. In England the railway companies were also being affected by motor competition, Mr Hartjgan said, but this had been mitigated to some extent by the companies investing large amounts of capital in motor transport themselves. In addition, British companies were investing large sums in providing air services.