GROWTH OF MOTOR TRAFFIC.

Otago Witness, Issue 3869, 8 May 1928, Page 27

GROWTH OF MOTOR TRAFFIC.

A COMPREHENSIVE INQUIRY. WELLINGTON, May 3. Towards the end of last year, follow* mg on the announcement of my intention to initiate an inquiry into the transport systems of New Zealand,” said the Prime Minister, “ a preliminary committee waa set up for the collection and compiliation uf the relevant facts and figures to torm the basis of a reasoned conclusion as tn out present position. The committee consists of tile permanent heads of the Publio Works Department, the Post and Telegraph Department, the Railway Department, and the Marine Department—principal departments of State concerned in transport—with whom are associated the Government Statistician and repra•entatives of the Prime Minister’s department. The object of the inquiry with which the committee is charged is to ascertain the existing facts and thus to enable the Government to sum up the position of New Zealand’s transport systems from the point of view of national economics. As I explained in my previous statement such an inquiry, which has not previously been made, may disclose a needless duplication and overlapping of oar means of transport, especially in proposals for the future; —for example, a duplication of parallel roads and possibly in some cases where a first-class road would adequately meet all requirements and save the taxpayer the cost of the railway and its operation. * ”To enable the committee to study properly the various factors involved ■in a consideration of the important question of co-ordinating our transport methods it is essential that the fullest possible data should be in its possession. In pursuance of a plant under consideration for some time the Government Statistician accordingly collected, at the request of the committee, statistics for the month of November, 1927, in regard to commercial motor transport services. The statistics obtained from this collection have been tabulated and published, and will no doubt have astonished most people as to the extent to which this infant industry had grown. The committee has given consideration to the figures, which are very informative and helpful. At a meeting held recently it wai decided that the study of the volume and cnaracter of the road motor transport should be continued so as to keep under observation the development of motor traffic between main population centres on the arterial highways and between main population centres and adjacent districts on the feeder roads. It was considered that regular and systematic statistics for this purpose were essential and that the method which would give the best representation of the traffic over tins whole year and at the same time impose the least trouble on motor owners would be a collection of returns covering the traffic in cue month of each quarter, the most. suitable months suggested being January, April, July, and October. As April is just passed the next collection will be for the month of May, which, while representative of this quarter, would also have the advantage of being six months from the last collection in November. It was decided, however, that these regular collections should ba confined to organised services running over defined routes, and that the collection of statistics relating to private business cars and irregular long-distance trips once a year would be sufficient for the observation of these classes of road transport. “ The Government Statistician was accordingly instructed to take the necessaiy steps for the May and future collections The preparations are well advanced, and it is anticipated that the forms of return for May will shortly be issued thro .gh the local deputy registrars of motor vehicles. I wish to make it quite clear that these returns will not be used for any departmental purpose. Individual returns will be held in the strictest confidence by the Government Statistician, and only the combined results will be made available to the Transport Committee "and the general public. Careful consideration has been given to causing those concerned as little inconvenience as possible compatible with obtaining the necessary particulars for the continued study and investigation of this important aspect of the Dominion’s transport problems. “ I would appeal to motor owners engaged in the transport business to assist the work of the committee by supplying the returns as promptly and fully as pos sible.”