RAILWAY SERVICES

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 16372, 21 June 1927, Page 2

RAILWAY SERVICES

INCREASING MOTOR COMPETITION MB. MASON'S VIEWS (Per Press Association.) WELLINGTON, last night. Speaking at the Railway Officers Insßtuto social. Mr. Mason; a member ot the Sihyays Bd.nl, *#d that from te point of view of members of the Institute the most important event of the vear bad been the question of the ieclassilication of the first division. It had been a. task of considerable magnitude, and he-considered very sound judgment had been exercised in arriving at the conclusions. Almost every rafhvav station in the Dominion had been visited and a vast amount ot information had been gathered, report had not vet been made public, but It was far better to have the work thorough I v done, even if that involved some delay. He considered the report autabie one, and he was of the opinion tint it would afford considerable satisfaction to the railway service generally, at least to that portion of the service immediately concerned. * Referring to the increasing competition of "motor traffic, Mr. Mason said it was essential that every railway officer > should equip himself to meet the competition with which the railways were now faced, for there had been no stage in the liistorv of the railways when they had to meet such serious competition. Of course, that competition was not singular in the case.,of New Zealand. All the railway concerns throughout the world were grappling with the problem, livery officer in the service should make up his mind to do all lie could to assist the management, for the department required all the business it was possible to get. No service could flourish unless all its members devoted themselves whole-heartedly to its interest*. He was glad to say a very line spirit'permeated the service, a spirit which mafle for advancement and for gaining and retaining the confidence of public. He thought, however, that that spirit could be still further developed. When they considered there were about 18.0UD employees in the rail way service, it would be realised that fhe interests of the were bound up with the prosperity of the railways, and it behoved every officer to realise that not only had the public a/right to expect efficiency, but such efficiency and the prosperity of the railways was in the interests of each individual member of the service.*|£': Mr. Mouat, another member-of the board, said there was no doubt the increasing motor competition was serious-, and, indeed, it raised a doubt as to

whether all the members of the railway

service were going to finish their careers as railway officers. The question often came into his mind: Has motor transportation come to take the place of the railways ?, If it had, then the railways within a comparatively few years would range themselves alongside the

old stage ooacb and the bullock team, that Iras if they accepted the, view that motor transportation could render all thejservice that the railways could, but he did not think it could. He did not

think motor transportation had shown that it could handle rush traffic in the way the railways could. It could not handle citv and suburban traffic in centres like Auckland and Wellington without great disappointment, nor could it take 10,COO people to and from agrjeultural race meetings- Even if it-£ould it would not, he thought, be able to take workers to and from their

homes at a farthing per mile, nor could it distribute large quantities of eoal daily over long distances, as was done

in the North Island at three farthings a mile. Therefore; in his opinion, motor traffic had not reached the stage Bf.ia long way when it could replace the" railways,"which would continue to be just as useful to the country as they were to-day. /